The truth of the Christian religion vindicated from the objections of unbelievers : particularly of Mr. John James Rousseau : in a series of dissertations

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LIBRARY

OF THE -

Theological Seminary,

PRINCETON, N. J^

BT 1210

Cast
Shel
Booi

D6 1765
Dodd, William, 1729-1777.
The truth of the Christian
religion vindicated from

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< i i < r' «^ ' 'I

The T K u r II of the

CHRISTIAN RELIGION

Vindicaced fiom the Odjections of

UNBELIEVERS

Pariicularly, of

Mr. J 0 1 1 N J A M E S R O U S S E A U.

In a Serifs of DISSERTATIONS.

fty the EDITORS of the Christian's Macazinf,

Profejfirg tksm/cl-ves to he icl/e, thej became Fcalt. Rom. L la,

L C) N D O T^,

Printed for J. N i w n f. r y, at the Bible and San, In
St. Paul's Church-yard.

M DCC J-XV.

PREFACE.

' TJ/'H E N icritrrs, held in great ejllma^
tloHj Lire endeavouring^ by all mean^
in their power, to difcredit the Chriftian Re-
ligion ; "while they make their works of en-
tertaijwient the ^vehicle of their poijbny and
injcrt their cbjeLtions againjl the truth of
Christ cnjen in their romances*, every at-
tempt to obviate their cavils, and vijjdicatc
our Holy Religion, may well be thought ne^
cejfary.

No writer, perhaps, hath attacked Chri-
Jiianity with morefiibtilty than Roiifleau, in
i6/> Emilius ; and it may fe em fl range that,
while his book hath been tranflatcd, and
generally read amojigjl us, no antidote hath
yet been offered to the public againli the poi-
fon of the Savoyard Vicar's Creed. Our
neighbours on the continent have aSed dif-
ferently : fever al able and fpirited an/wer^
have been publifJ:ed there, fiifficient to confute
and to convince Rouficau, and his admirers -,
and to flKW that the Religim o/^ Christ
A 2 is

iv PREFACE.

is fuperior to all their varied aiid laboured
attacks.

After a perufdl of fame of thefe anfwersy
andfijiding that no one had yet undertaken
the refutation of Mr. Rouffeau, in our lan-
guage y %ve determined to lay before the public
a Series of Differtations on fuch i?nportant
topics of revealed Religion, as more immedi-
ately refped our adverfarys ohjetlions \ freely
ufingfuch arguments as we found in the an-
fwers of the learned on the continent ; ajid
fo arranging our matter, as that each differ^
tation may be complete, and of ufe in it/elf,
feparate from ifs immediate reference to the
prefent controverfy , And here we ?mift in
particular pay our refpeBs to Mr, Bitaube, to
whofe very ingenious work^ intitled. Refuta-
tion dunouvel ouvrage dcJeanJaquesPvOuf-
feau, we are in an efpecial manner obliged.

The caife in which we are engaged is,
cey'tainly, of the great ejl tnoment : the topics
which we handle are of the firfl importance
in that caife: the adverfary we attempt to
refute, (and whofe opinions^ we truft, will be
found abundantly rejutedj is of no mean cha-

rcMer

PREFACE. V

racier : On all which account s, ive hope, that
cur labour loill be accept ah Ic^ anil meet with
cjicouragement from the friends to Religion
and their country : For, infdelity, without
quejiiony is as pernicious to a fuite, as it is to
individuals ; Jince no kingdom, more than any
individual, can pofjibly be happy without Re-
ligion. Whatever tends, therefore, to Jlem
the progrefs oj infidelity, deferves, and^ we
are confident, will find, the encourag€?nent of
every patriot, as well as of every fincere Chri^
fiian: For, Rightcoufnefs exalteth a nation ;
but infidelity and vice are a reproach to any
people.

We have nothing further to add, but our
hefl thanks to the liberal encouragers of this
work in thejormer mode of it's publication,
whom we have endeavoured to oblige, by fub^
joining a general index ; and who, wd hope,
as defirous to ferve the caufe of our common
Chr'ijlianity, will endeavour to fp read amongjl
their neighbours, this, and works of the like
nature, iofiem, if pofiiblc, the ino eajing tide
of defm and infidelity.

TABLE

TABLE

O F

CONTENTS.

DISSERTATION I.

On the natural Jlate and condition of vian^

INTRODUCTION Page r

Sect. I. T^he Jlate of infancy confdercd 4

II. Truth ibid.

III. Happinef 6

IV. The dominion of flejlo andfenfe over

reafcn 9

V. Mans unavoidable evils l^

VI. Proofs of original depravity 17
VII. Roiijje an refuted 21

VIIL Notions ef the antient philofophers,
refpedfing human depravity 24
IX. Difficidties in the do6lrine of ori-
ginal fm imavoidable 27
X. Original fin fully remedied by re^
demption, 33

DISSERTATION

11

CONTENTS.

DISSERTATION II.

On the neceffify gf revelation.

Sect.. I. Strictures ofi RouJJeaii Page 36

IL Ignorance of God, proof of the

want of revelation 43

III. T^be ignorance and inconftjlency of

philofophers refpeBing God 48

IV. —RefpeBi7Jg the origin of the world

49
V. —RefpeBing the foul 51

VI . — RcfpeBing the condition and de-

fignation of man 52

VII. -^RefpeBing moral truths 56

VJII. Application to Rouffeau 60

IX. Further proof of the neceffity of re^

velatwn 72

X. Internal worfiip ejfential to exte?'nal

79
XI. ^he difcovery of remiffion of fns^ a

further proof of the neccfjity of

revelation 87

XII. A detail of the revelation of the

great promife of a Redeemer 90

XIII. Mofes 94

XIV. Difficulties in revelation^ no objec-

tion to the belief of it 100

XV. Roufcaus difliuBion of the obliga-
tion to fubmit to revelation exa-
mine^i 109

XV]

CONTENTS. ili

XVI. Hisftifcontradi^'ion.^c, Page 1 14

XVII. Of human faith i 17

XVIII. Of the allo^ved notoriety ofthefa^s

125

DISSERTATION III.

On miracles.

Se c T . I. IntrodiiBion 133

II. Tlje means 11 fed to propagate Chri^

jlianity^ proper 134

III. The propagation of Chrijlianity,the

greatejl miracle 1 3 5

IV. l^he firjt preachers of Chriflianity

a proof of it's divinity 138

V. Miracles^ ^c. as ivell attefted as

ive could defre 142

VI. Miracles fuffcicntly attcfled 149

VII. The continuance of Chrijlianity ^ a

7niracle i r 2

VIII. Witnefjes to Chi'ifliaji miracles 156

XI. The reafon of ??jiracles 159

X . The Chrijlian miracles, fit, proper^

and benign 164

XI. Miracles prove the truth of a doc-

t7'ine, Afurvey of fcripture in

that light 171, 174

XII. Heathens imjuflifiahle in puniflfing

Chrifiians Ig2

XIII. Human reafon weak, and incapable

alo?ie oj dif covering religious truths i 96

XIV*

i> CONTENTS.

XIV. The fimpli city of faith Page 203
XV. Re a fin leads to a belief in miracles

205

XVI. Miracles mofi proper 217

XVII. 0/ authority^ and of that of the

Church in particular 2.11^^ 231

XVIIL Why Cusli^t's miracles ivere re-

jeBed 234

XIX, Ihe natural a?2d plain c dnfe queue e of

miracles 237

XX. j^pollonius Tyaneus 241

XXI. Keal miracles inconteflable e^^ji deuces

of truth 2^4

DISSERTATION IV.

On the fcriptures.
Sect.!. 267

II. Common men mu/i re [I in the autho^
rity of the Chrifiian Clmrch 273

III, Concerning the various copies and
readi72gs of the S. S, 277

W. S.S,fuficiently known and read 28^

DISSERTATION V.

The moral charaBer o/' Jesus Christ com-
pared 'icith that of Socrates,

Sect. I. Tntrcduclion 286

II. Rouffeaiis tefiinojiy to the e:^cellency

ftheS.S. 288

III.

CONTENTS. y

III . Moral chai'acler ^JesusCiirist

Page 295

IV. l^he dcBriiie of CuKisT, and the

preparation for his coming 300
V. T/r life and death of] EsusCfiRisT

VI. ne dtfciples of Christ and So-
crates -505
VII. Martyrs 309
VIII. Evidences to the truth of Chrijlia^
nit)\fro7n the character ofCn r i s t

3H

DISSERTATION VI.

The Chrijiian^ Mahometan^ and Jewijlj Reli^
gions compared : with a view of the pro^
phecies.

Sect. I. Jhe argument flated^ and Roujfeau' s

inconffency fl:ewn 3 1 9

II. The Mahofnetan Religion examined^

and compared with the Chrijlian

322

III. An enquiry into the manner in which

the Mahotnetan and Chrijlian
Religion were propagated 330

IV. Of the fiicccfs of the Mahometan

Religion 333

V, Roiifeau refuted, and the Chriflian

vindicated 3 3 4

VI.

vl CONTENTS.

VI. Chrlfiiam have fufficient proofs to

convince the "Jews : fo?ne of them

advanced: Cbriftian Religionmofl

ancient Page 338

VII. Jesus Christ proved to be the

Mefjiah, from a view of the pro^

pbecies 341

VIII. Jesus Christ proved to be the

MeJJiah, from a review of what

has happened fmce his coming 355

IX. ^application to the fews t, and con-

f deration of what Rovfeau urges

for them 364

X. Of modern fudaifm 378

XI. A fuffering MeJJiah neceffary and

proper for man. 382

XII. The divine character of Jesus

Christ 387

XIII. Jewifiobfinacy.proofofthe truth

oj Chriftianity 398

XIV. Proofs Jrom the prophecies concern--

ing the city and temple of feru-

falem 400

XV. Proof from, the attempt of Julian

to rebuild ferufalem 406

XVI. Concluding proofs from the fate of

the Jews 417

THE

DISSERTATION L

ON THE

Natural State and Condition Ox^MAN.

WE propofe to fpeak of the many^"^^o^^«^
invincible proofs, which dc-
monftrate the beatify, grandeur
and excellence t of the Chriflian Religion.

And, that we may preferve fomc certain
method, we will begin with a particular,,
fubjedl, whereon it h conceived we ought
to infill:, becaufe, all others depend upon it,
as their bafis and foundation. And this fub-
je(5t confifts in tracing out the caufe and ori-
gin of all thofe evils, to w^hich our fouls
and bodies are liable, even from the flate of
infancy.

Let us obferve how Roufleau, the au-
thor of a late treatife on Education, entitled,
Em I LI us, Ipeaks of this ftate : *' For
*' what rcafon, fays he*, my foul is thu^

• Vol. III. p. 12 1.

A *' fubicaed

<*

c«

T/je Truth of the
fubjecled to the organs of fenfe, and
chained to a body, which lays it under
fo much reftraint ; I know not, nor do I
prefume to enter into the decrees of the
Auiiighty : but I may, without temerity,
form a inodejl conjeciure, or two, on this
head. I fay then, if the mind of man
^* had remained perfedly free and pure,
'* what merit could he have pretended to,
*^ in admiring and purfuing that order which
*^" he faw already eftabli(hed ; and which he
** lay under no temptation to difturb ? Itis-
** true, he would have been happy, but he
*^ could not have attained that moft fub-
*^ lime degree of felicity, the glory of virtue,
*' and the teftimony of a good confcience :
*' we fliQuld in fuch a cafe have been no
" better than the angels ; and doubtlefs -f a
" virtuous man fhall be one day much fu-
^' perior,"

In the fecond volume of his work, this
writer had embraced another fyftem. *' We
'' may lay it down, fays he, as a maxim,
^^ that the firft movements of nature are al-

f However flattering to human vanity this bold aiTer-*
tion, we wait for the proof from our author; and own our-
fclves ftrangers to any fuch dedudlion from fcripture^
whence alone fuch proof can be drawn.

*^ ways

Chnjiian Religion vindicated.
** ways right : there is no original dcpr a-
** i)ity in the human heart. We find in it
*' no one vice, of which we cannot fay how
*' and by what means it gained an entrance
" there."

The contradiftion of thefe two paffiges
is eafily perceived : in this, Rouflcau pretends
that man is born without fpot or impurity ;
and in tlie other, he acknowledges, that he
is not fo born, and that his firll: freedom has
been infringed. But, as he is very far from
imputing the caufe of thisdcfcdl to an origin
nal fiUy he feeks it amongfl: the vain con-
je(flures, furnilhcd by his imagination : con-
jedlures which have no other tendency than
to annihilate the belief of that original fin,
under the fpecious pretence of procuring to
man a more fublime degree of happinefs,
and of adding a greater luftre to his virtue.

In order to flicw this author the temerity
of tliofe his modcjl conjcBurcs^ and, at tlic
fame time, to eftablifh the proofs of the
Chriftian Religion ; let us follow man from
his cradle to the tomb.

A a

:n^, ' The Truth of the

Ti^lnhZ §• ^- I'^^^^ amazing a fpeftacle is that of
cy confi- our infancy ! The grief and pains, which it
cofts to give us birth, are a fure predidlion
of the niiferies into which we are about
to enter ! Incapable of exprefling, by our
fpeech, what we feel and are ; cries and
lamentation immediately proclaim our evils
and afflidions. Wretched from this firft
moment of exigence, v/ithout knowing wc
are fo, and without being confcious, that
we do exift ; how worthy is our condition
of tears and compaffion !

Truth. §. II. Born with reafon, which exalts our
nature above that of every other created
being in the univerfe : — how long do we
continue without any power to ufe it ? Deep
buried in the fenfes, how many labours, and
painful efforts doth it coft that reafon, ere
ihe can unfold herfelf ? We are formed for
the knowledge of the truth -, we ardently
delirc it : we bend forward to reach it with
all the powers of our fouls : and yet this
bleffing, fo natural, and fo analogous, flies
, afar off and efcapes us. V/ould we embrace,
and attend to it ? It's luftre dazzles and con-
founds us ; our weak and dim fight cannot

fupport

Chrtjllan Religion v!?idicated,
fupport it's fplendor, and we arc forced to
quit the pofleflion of it, even in the very
inflant, when we might hope to hold and
retain, what wc had purfued. Eutthibisa
niere faperficial dcfcription of the difficuhlcs
we have to furmount in the fearch after
truth. Every objedl amufes, fed uces and
deceives us. Our itnagination through it's
falfe reports ; our fcnfes, by their iliulions,
and fatal imprelTions -, cujlorn and opinions,^
by means of the fad empire they exerclfe
upon our underftandings : all things, within
and without, lay fnares to entrap us. Error ^
in order the better to miflead us, avails itfelf
of the very ardor which we entertain for the
attainment of truth -, and, through the mod
deplorable of all mifchances, that truth it-
felf, which alone wc love and fearch after,
becomes to us an occafion of every kind of
deception. We involve ourfclves in the gro-
&^ miflakes ; and for the wliole harvcft
of our inquiries, and our labours, often
reap only the mofl: falfc and extravagant
opinions, which yet we embrace with asS
much avidity, as though they were the
moft important truths.

A 3 §. III.

i

i' Tie T R V T u of tie

Happi- §. III. This is the melancholy fituation of
man, left to himfelf, with refpedl to truth.
If, from thence, we pafs on to the happi-
nefs which he purfues with his whole foul's
attention, with v/hat an amazing inconfif-
tency will the difcovery furprize us ! He
paffionately longs to be happy ; and what
various means does he employ to that end ?
His mind never inclines him to the leaft ad-
vance, in which it hath not this objed: full
in view. It is the bails, motive and end of
all his adions : this ftirs him up, and keeps
him continually in exercife. This tranfports
him to fo many different engagements : — what
efforts, what anxieties, what hard and toil-
fome trials, harrafs him 5 all undergone, in
order to obtain that grand object to which
his whole heart is devoted !

But, O capricious happinefs ; how widely
diilant doft thou ftill appear from us ! Thy
profpeft animates, and fupports us ; the
llrong defire of finding thee holds us in per-
petual agitation : we are ever hoping to
meet v*/ith, and to feize faft upon thee ; and
yet thou ever fliefl from us, and always
dludcil our expecting fearch 3 when agaia

we

Chrijl'ian Religion ^-juidtcated, ^

wc fall into our ftate of wretchcdnefs, with
a frcfli fenfe of anguifh and dlfgun: ! Who,
ilnce the beginning of the world, could ever
flatter himfelf, with having arrived \>y the
hght of his reafon, and the afli (lances of na-
ture, at that joyful goal to whicli every hu- "
man being afpires ? Princes and people, great
and fmall, learned and unlearned, young
and old, of every age, and of every country,
all ahke bewail tnc having wearied them-
felves in fruitlefs fearch after a happinefs,
which yet they folicit v/ith the utmoft fer-
vency.

But, it is flill more lamentably flrange,
and clearly difcovers the perverfenefs and
depravity of man, that every thing, the
moft vile and contemptible which nature can
prefent to us, hath ufurped in man the place
of his true defignation and happinefs. Stars,
elements, ' plants, animals, wars, crimes,
and difordcrs, have all become good in his
eftimation ; have all been made nfe of,
in order to repair and fupply that real good
which he hath loft. Nay, even the very
deftrudlion of happinefs, hath appeared to
him, a means, likely to procure it.

A 4 Behold

T/je T RV rii of the

Behold here, then, the melancholy con^
didon of man, as well with refped to feli-
city, as with refped to truth : he loves
truth 3 he defires to pofiefs her -, and finds
within him nought but darknefs, confufion
of ideas, and boundlefs uncertainty : he
feeks for happinefs, and he finds nothing
but a prodigious concurrence of miferies of
every fort. Is it not vifible from hence that
man has erred, that he is fiUen from his firft
eflate ? — V/hy do we purfue happinefs, with
this greedinefs, and this impotency, unlefs
man formerly enjoyed, a real happinefs ? a
happinefs, of which the vedige alone now
remains ; a vaft vacuity ! which he vainly
endeavours to fupply, from every objed:
that furrounds him. '* Everything, as the
*' great Pafchal obferves, teftiiies that man is
*' a king, but a king dethroned ; who bears
*^ in his bofom a continual confcioufnefs of
*' his former ftate, and who, in fpight of
*^ all his efforts to fubdue it, preferves a
*' firong dcfire of being reftored." There
are flill apparent in him the remains of his
former greatnefs, and fome certain tokens
of his ancient dignity. But it is alfo evident,
^nd man proclaims it in every circumftance,

that

Chri/licin Religion vindicated. 9

that he hath been degraded, defpoiled and
banilhcd, becaufe he hath become a prevari-
cator : for, certainly, unlcfs man were in a
depraved ftatc ; and, unlcfs he were a (in-
ner, he would enjoy truth and happinefs in
the fullcft fecurity. And if man had never
been other than corrupt, he could not enter-
jtain a fingle idea either of truth or happineii.

But, wretched as we are ! we do en-
tertain an idea of happinefs, and yet can-
pot attain it. We perceive the fair image
of truth, but we only poflefs the fliadow :
incapable either of abfolute ignorance, or
certain knowledge, thus much is manifeil,
^' that we have been in a ftate of perfection,
*' from which we are miferably fallen ! '*

§. IV. In order to prove this matter fully. The do-
let us confider thevaft unweildinefs, and ex - p/Jjj^*'" ^J^^
tent of that dreadful yoke, which opprefTeth^^'^^^^over
the fons of Adam. From the moment of our
birth, our fenfcs have rebelled again (1: rea-
fon : llic finds herfclf tyrannically fwaycd
by the flcdi, to which our fouls bccom'j
flaves. All the paffions, fucceffively, domi-
neer over us, and frequently all of thcin
together. Plunged in the darknefs of a pro-
found ignorance, and fmittcn with the

wound

10 T^he T R u T n of the ^

wound of univerfal concupifcence, we he-
iitate to perform, our principal duties, and
are v/avering every moment. The leaft ad-
vantage is often produdive of infurmount-
able difficulties: and evil, how enormous
foever, hath powerfully- feducing attradions
to mifguide us. Our thoughts are all inclined
to ill, previous to the commiffion of it by
an adt of the will. All our faculties are vi-
tiated and defiled. We perceive within us
a continual war : our breafts are all feditioii
and rebellion ! Every objedl oppofeth ths
good we would pradife ; and every object
carries and inclines us to the evil, which we
jfly from and deteft ^ an heavy and galling
weight under which we are obliged incef-
fantly to flruggle, keeps us continually bent
toward earthly and fenfibie objeds. In one
word, Man, formed to be fpiritiial^ even
while in the flefh, becaufe the mind ought
to prefide there ; is become carnal in his
very mind, becaufe the flefh, by fubduing
it, exercifes over it a tyrannical dominion j
a fecret and unaccountable pride, torments
us v/iihout end, gnav/s upon, and devours
us ; it's fubtle foifts and hidden turnings,
make a perpetual fport of us : every thing
affiils it : it accompliihes it's ends, even

while

Chrillian Religion vhidicated. 1 1

while vvc carry it about us ; and in it's very
defeat finds new caufe of triumph. It's poi-
fon leaves within us only the fiiadow and
appearance of that virtue of which it dif-
pofes at pleafure ; and, fufFcring us at moft
only to retain the pomp and outfide fliow,
continually works to the ruin of it's fpirit
and reality. Thefe manifold evils and af-
flid:ions are not common merely to feme few:
they are the general lot of all men : all man-
J^ind are deeply fenfible of their force and •
influence. The moft virtuous, and the moft
vigilant over their own condu<fl, are they
who feel them moft. They every day ex-
perience thefe fatal propcnfities of vicious
and corrupt nature -, propenfities, which be*
come the fubjedl of their continual forrow
and oppofition. What then doth all this fcene
of chaos, and monftrous confufion proclaim
to us, but the certainty of the two condi-
tions of man 1 Tliey fpeak to us in a voice
fo loud and powerful, that it is impoffible
to withftand their evidence.

Vain is the endeavour to perfuade man,
that he is not fallen from his firft cftate !
His daily experience, his own proper feel-
in 2:5

ii 7i>e Truth of the

ings give a formal lye to ihofegrofs impoflors
who would thus aim to amufe and to de-
ceive him.

Man, in his natural eftate, is fo hideous
and formidable in his own eyes, that he
<:annot fupport the view : he cannot be-
hold or confider his condition without ter-
ror. This is the fource and caufe of thofe
perpetual agitations, wherein his whole
life is palled. His only ftudy is to forget
his very exiftence, by bufying his mind,
with fuch a variety of objeds, as may divert
felf-confideration. As he finds nothing with-
in him, which can give him fatisfacSion ;
as he perceives there, nothing but what
afflids him ; he avoids felf- knowledge ;
and, by an application to external purfuits,
anxioufly feeks to lofe fight of his real
condition, and to fliake from his mind the
reflexion of his exceffive miferies. Would
you render man miferable ? Condemn
him to filence and retirement, and oblige
him to live by himfelf. — He will prefently
deplore his fituation, becaufe being in-
tirely confined to his own cogitations, he
will feel himfelf oppreffed with the full
burden of his mifery. It is this too which

makes

Chnjlian Re tig! on vimUca'ed, 13

makes imprilbnmcnt (o horrible a puniHi-
mcnt to men, and Is the caufc why few
pcrfons are able to relifli tlie Iweets of fo-
litude.

What a phoenomenon, what a prodigy of
irconfiftency then, is man ! He loves
hiinfelf, and himfclf alone ; yet can he
not face his own mind, without imme-
diately flilling into fidncfs and chagrin.
Whatever he may feek for from without,
felf-gratification is the fole end of his pur-
liiit ; and he hates nothing fo much as to.
be left alone. He flics from himfelf with
the greateft caution, and is rejoiced to bury
reflexion in forge rfulncfs. Let us not won-
der at all this 5 he finds in himfelf only an
abundance of inevitable calamities, and a
total defeflion from every real and folid
good. But, how vain and fuperficial is man,
whom, amid ft fo many juft occafions of
dilquietude, the meereft trifle can amufe !
Blind that he is, he places all his happlnefs
in the purfuit of phantoms ; of objed:s fo
vile and dcfpicable, as would be incapable
of engaging his attention, had he not loft
the relKhand fenfe of true felicity ! '' What
*' a chimera then is man !" as the great Paf-
chal exclaims. *^ What a noveltv ! what a

*' chaos

14 "The T R u T H ^' the

*' chaos of inconfiftency ! what a flave to
" ccntradidion ! arbiter of all fublunary
** things 5 and yet a feeble woro^ ! The re-^
*^ pofitory of truth; yet a mafs of uncertainty I
" The glory and the difgrace of the uni-
*^ verfe ! If he is puffed up, I can abafe him;
5' if he humbleth himfelf, I can exalt him :
*' and am able continually to confute what
*' ever he may urge, even till he fhall fully
•* underftand, and acknowledge himfelf to
** be an incomprehenfible creature *."

• Dr. Young, in his Night Thoughts, expreffes himfelf ia
nearly the fame manner :

How poor! howrich ! how abje£l ! how auguft !
How complicate I how wonderful, is man !
How pafiing wonder, H E who made him fuch X
Who centred in our make fach ftrange extremes !
Prom different natures marvelloufly mix'd.
Connexion exquifite of diflant worlds !
Diftingui(h*d link in being's endlefs chain !
Midivay from nothing to the Deity !
A beam ethereal, fuUy'd, and abfofb'd \
Though fullied, and difhonourM, ftill divine !
Dim miniature of greatnefs abfolute 1
An heir of glory ! a frail child of duU I
lielplefs immortal I Infedl infinite !
A worm ! a God ! — I tremble at myfelf.
And in myfelf am loft ; At home a ftranger.
Thought wanders up and down, furpriz'd, aghaft.
And wondering at her own : How reafon reels !
O what a miracle to man is man /

Night I. p. 6. 8vo edit.

§. IV.

Chrijliaji Religion "cind'icated. ir

§ IV. The evils and calamities I haveMan^un-
delcribed, are not tlie only ones, where- *^^^!^-j^''^^^
with we are afflided. How many others,
of a different kind, concur with them, to
conftitate that torrent of wretchcdnefs
which, from infancy, overwhelms our life !
An invifible power inceflantly purfues us,
and allows us no intermiffion. We are de-
livered from one fpecies of affliction, but to
plunge into another, more painful and griev-
ous. Fear and trouble, terror and confterna-
tion, arc fo many executioners following us,
as malefactors : vvhere-ever we go, wc
enjoy no repofe, night or day. When every
objedl around us appears calm and tranquil,
and we begin to recreate ourfelves after the
toils of day ; fcarcely have we tafted the
fweet comforts of a firft fiumber, ere
wakeful and wandering imagination prefcnts
us With mongers and phantoms of every
kind : and we find ourfelves like a daily
centinel, kept in continual watchfulncfs.
Now we feem to be purfued, by a furious
enemy, as in a day of battle % and can only
defend ourfelves acainft this circumftancc of
fear, by waking fuddcnly in furprizc. No
fooncr arc we thus extricated from fo unac-
countable,

The T R u T H c/' the
countable a fright, than frefli amazemenf
feizcs us at having perceived fo much dangsr^
in the midft of perfedlfecurity.

What (ball v/t fay of thofe intolerable
difeafes, which are the portion of all flefli ?
who can count the multiplied pains, and
torments, we every day fufFer in our bo-
dies ? We die every inftant ; and, to com-
plete our unhappinefs, that body which
is in a ftate of continual corruption and
decay, makes the foul feel the full burden
of it's infirmities ; damps and depreffes
all it*s nobler faculties ; and, depriving it
of the little vigour which remains with
it, almoft incapacitates it for every applica-
tion. Were it defirous to elevate itfelf to
the contemplation of celeftial truths 5 the
body, languifhing, and furcharged with an-
guifh, blunts the edge of it's ardor, and
caufes it fpeedily to fall back to fenfual ob-
jeds, while again immerfed in thofe low
profpedls, which before engaged his atten-
tion, man is difabled from deteding a heart
which mifleads him, and an underflanding
which gives him up to diffipation.

Ill

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. 1 7

In fl^rt, through fuch innumerable evils,
man, fond as he is, of life, arrives at death ;
that death, of which his nature entertains
fo much horror : and what is that death ?
frequently tragical, accidental, or barba-
roully inhuman ; by the fword, or through
oppreflion ; by peftilence or famine ; and
by all the deftroying fcourges of divine ven-
geance. Is not the whole univerfe evidently
a mere affembly of offenders, led by the
juftice of God, through an infinity of fufFer-
ings, previoufly to thofe various punifli-
ments, whereby he hath fentenced them to
final execution? " Grant, then, O pride !
what a paradox thou art even to thyfelf. Be
humble, O feeble reafon ! and thou, weak
nature ! be hufhed in filence. Learn, that
man's ftate in exiftence, infinitely exceed
his comprehenfion ; and be inftrucftcd by
thy mafter in that thy true condition, whereof
thou art inevitably ignorant ! * "

§ VI. Now, let Roufleau inform us, ifproofs of
hecan, how, under the providence of a ju ft p"^'^^^
God, the human race could be thus over- vity.
whelmed with innumerable evils, unlefs it

• Sec Pafcal's Thoughts,

B were

1 8 7/je Truth of the

were culpable from it's birth. Obfervc,
will we repeat to him, after St. Augu^ine. —
Obferve that toilfome ftate of infancy ;
with what various ills it is oppreffed ! amidft
what vanieties, what pains, what errors and
fears, doth it make it's way ! When grown
up to man's eftate, and defirous to be wholly
confecrate to the fervice of our GOD, how
many dangerous temptations aflail us ! The
temptations of error, which would fain fe-
duce us ; of pleafure, w^hich powerfully
conftrains us 3 Of anxiety and vexation,
which dejedt us ; and of pride, which in-
flates, and lifts us up ! Who is able to
loofe this ponderous yoke, wherewith all the
children of Adam are galled ? or who could
entertain a belief, that under a good, and a
juft God, they would fufFer fo many af-
flidlions, unlefs original offence, had pre-
ceded the punifhment ? There is no middle
way of refolving this propofition : either GoD
is impotent or unjuft, or man is culpable *.

Rouffeau unites v/ith us in aflerting, That
*' a being, capable of doing every thing,

* ^ad igilur rejlat ? mji tit caufa ijlorum malorumjit,
aiit iniquitas, n)el mpotcntia Deif aut pa:na primi ^jeieri/que
peccati ? [^t. Augullin.]

** cannot

<c

H

Ckrijiian Religion vindicated, -19

'^ cannot *ivill to do any thing but what is
*' right /' that, *' The being who is infi-
^* nitcly good, becaufe he is infinitely pow-
'' erflil, muft alio be fupreinely jiiil, othcr-
'' wnfe he would be inconliftent with him-
felf : for that love of order, which pro-
duces it, we call goodncjs -, and that love
of order, which preferveth it, v/e call
^^ juflicc,^ " Since therefore the Deity ( by
Roufleau's own declaration) is neither iinjujl
nor impotent : let him join with us in con-
feffing, that fo grievous andheavy a yoke,
would never luive been impofcd upon
the fons of Adam, from their nativity to
the grave, if they had not merited the in-
fli(ftion by the offence of their firil parents.
For could a Deity, who is fo great a
lov.^r of order, be the author of that dif-
ordcr, which we perceive in every circum-
ftance of our nature ? Could he have formed
man with all thofe pcrverfe inclinations
which every day more fully difcovcr them-
felves ? With that amazing propenfity,
which inclines him to fubmit himfelt, to
every thing, but his rightful Lord? Can
thofe various inconfiflencic?, which arc

* Sec Vol. III. p. 64.

E 2 united

^^ The T R u T ti of the

united in our nature, derive themfelves frohi
the clear fource of his wifdom ? Who could
be impioufly daring enough to affirm, that
the God of holinefs, excites in our breads
all thofe continual conflicts of the flefh againft
the fpirit ? and that general rebellion of all
the paffions ? — That it is he who kindleth
within us thofe firey darts of concupifcence,
which confume us, notwithftanding all our
efforts to extinguiih them ? Who could be
fo daring, and fenfclefs, to pretend that the
God of innocence end purity, writeth that
law of lin in our members, which is always
warring againft the law of reafon, and of the
fpirit? That he foments, and feeds within them,
all thofe enfnarino; inclinations, which, fome-
times with an hidden, fometimes with an
open force, urge and incite us, by the allare-
ment of fenfible objects ? In fliort, can that
univerfal depravity, and diffolutenefs, which
inceflantly diffufe the moft impure exhibi-
tions from the gulph of the clayey man-
fion v/e inhabit; which ufe every effort to
captivate, ' and fubdue to their biafs, the
image of our Lord : and completely to ex-
terminate, whatever advantages of our firft
ftate we continue to enjoy : — Can a fource ,
thns polluted, can a caufe thus fertile of ca-
lamities.

Chrljlian Religion vindicated, ^l

lamltics, thus worthy of our tears, and for-
row : — C.in thin have any other origin, than
the general defection of our nature ?

§. VII. But ftlU Rouffcau urges, in order Roufienu
to elude the force of all thefe confiderations :"■ "^*^ *
" For what reafon my foul is thus, &;c. —
'* and the fair teftimony of an approving
*^ confcience." Seep. i.

Now what a ftrange and incoi-npctent me-
thod is this, of explaining the caufe of all
thofc numberlefs evils which befet us !
What ! muft we then make out the Deity
to be unjufl, that man may appear juft and
good ? and can any one fay, he is not un-
jufl:, if he puniiheth innocent man, before
he hath incurred puniflirnent ? — To afflidl
and punidi him, for no other end, than that
of rendering him capable of merit, and of
virtue, is a pretence unworthy God's great-
nefs and love : — For as much then as thou
art righteous -thyfelf^ thou ordcrejl all things
righteoufly ; thinking it not agreeable with
thy power to condemn him, who hath not de-
Jerved to be punifl:ed, VV i fd. xii. 15. Reafon
concurs with faith to eftablifli this truth :
and the idea which Roufleau a little above
B 3 fketch#f

2Z. . Tie Truth of the

{ketches out to us^ cannot be reconciled
with this his chimerical conjedlure. What
impiety is it to fuppofe, that the thrice holy
God, could render the purity of the inno-
cent fpotted and impure, and could begin,
by cauling us to forfeit the merit of inno-
cence, in order to the making us forego
that of vidory and patience ! Surely this
is an impoffibility which muft ever exift I
If God be the author of that revolu-
tion which hath taken place in our nature :
if it be He who hath excited that rebellion
there, of which we have a continual expe-
rience : — then man ought no longer to fight
againft himfclf ; and his concupifcence pro-
ceeding wholly from God, cannot be an
evil, which he ought to oppofe. Let him
then give himfelf up to it's diredion : let
him refign himfelf to it's pleafure : to refill
it would be injuring the work of God,
would be to oppofe thofe emotions where-
with He infpires us. From henceforth,
therefore, no more let human laws pretend
to arrogate a right of fuppreffing the out-
ward effects of our vicious appetites. Is it
their province to mend that which the Deity
hath ordained, and to change the facred in-
ftitutlon of our nature ? Thus Rouffeaa's

modeji

Chrijlian Religion vindicated, 25

modcft ccnje^Uirci tend to overthrow, and
confound every thine, to give a iandion to
all crimes and dilbrdcrs, to idolize and lanc-
tify all our unruly pallions, and to open a
full and free career to licentioufncfs !

But to proceed. Let RouiTcau fliew us
what application he would make of his
modejl coujcolures concerning the ftate
of infants. For what reafon, will wc
ail: him, is this infancy oppreiTed with fo
many afilidions ? why given up to fo
many griefs and pains , and why covered
with fo many vices and imperfcxftions ?
why, as it is then with-held from the ufe
of reafon, doth it frequently happen, that it
doth not recover it even in the moll: ad-
vanced age ? Roufleau furely cannot anfwer
us, that all this is calculated for the trial of
virtue : fince the condition of infancy ren-
ders it incapable of every ex.ercife of virtue ;
and it is therefore no more fufceptible of
merit than of demerit. — How then could
the juft God, aiHid our infancy with i^^
many calamities ? How could a Deity thus
good, difchargc againll his ov/n image, all
the arrows of his anger, at a time too,
wherein it could not, through it's own ill
B 4 condudl,

24 ^he Truth of the

conduct, have merited his chaftifcment, or
derive from thence any advantage ; — unlefs
that image, in the perfon of it's reprefen-
tative, had appeared in his eyes, criminal,
and therefore worthy to be thus fmitten and
afflided ? Let the miferies then of infancy,
conftrain Rouffeau to admit original fin, un^
lefs he apprehends the Deity can be unjuft.

Notions §. VIII. This view cf all the evils we
cientPhi-^^'^^^g^ from our nativity till death, forced
lofophers the heathen philofophers, who had never
ing hu- heard of original fin, to affirm and teach ;
nian de- ^j^^^ ^,^ ^^.^ placed in this world, for the

pravity. ^ '

fole purpofe of receiving the puniftiment
due to fins committed in another life : and
that the body was a punifhment to the foul,
fimilar to that inflicted by the Etrurian
pirates upon their captives, who fafi:en-
ed them, while living, to carcafifes already
dead. Thefe philofophers conceived, that
fuch a punithment could not have exifl:ed in a
world governed by a righteous Deity, with-
out fome precedent crime which had merited
it : and this confideration obliged them to
grant to fouls a life exempt from the body ;
ia which life, taking it for granted that

they

Chrijiian Religion vindicated. tg

ihey had abandoned themfclves to fin and
dilbrdcr ; they concluded, that they were
precipitated into this prifon of the body ;
and lb into all thole miferies, confequent
on that abjc(ftion, in order to fatisfy tha
divine juftice.

This is the cleareflr account thofe men
could give of the matter, who were igno-
rant of the fall of mankind, in it's lirft re-
prckntative. But, as this pre-exiftence of
fouls had no other reality than in their ima-
gination ; as there is no folid foundation to
lupport the opinion ; and as it is contra-
dided, by the light of reafon, as well as our
natural feelings : what more rational optioa
remains, than to admit original fin ; which,
tliough it be in a great meafure incompre-
benfible, is however the fimpleft, and the
only means to reconcile every thing, to our
minds ? Without admitting this, what judg-
ment can we form of the ordinary imper-
fections of mankind -, imperfedtions, which
are born and grow up wi h them ? How
clfe can we fail to regard God as their au-
thor , or what method can wc make ufe of
to reconcile a mixture of fo much nobi-
lity

^6^ ^e Truth of the

lity and excellence, with fo vafl a fund of
meannefs and imbecility ?

But every thing clears up, from the mo-
ment, I am affured, that the condition, in
which I behold man now, is not the con-
dition wherein his God at firft placed him.
My wonder ceafes, when I behold him as a
rebellious and degraded fubjed: in a ftate of
wretchednefs. I no longer find a contrariety
in the work of God ; I find none, fave in
what remains of this great fabric, and thofe
alterations, wrought in it by the fin of man.
From the moment I am informed of the
change which has happened in my original
condition ; from the moment I am affured,
that I am bcrn a finner ; all my doubts vanifli,
my perplexities difappear, and the difficulties
which embarraffed me, are diffipated.

Rouffeau vainly attempts to juflify pro-
vidence againft certain philofophers, who
venture to impugn it. He never can
effed: his purpofe, folidly and completely,
without laying down original guilt as the
firft principle ; without that affiftance, while
he would avoid one rock, he muft neceffa-

he

Chrifilnn Religion vindicated. ^j

rily Arikc upon another. The Atheift and
the Materialill will alway be throwing ifi-
furmount'cble dithcukies in his way: what
God is this, will they afk him, who without
any caufe or realbn for ib doing, has created
us V iih a body, naked, feeble, infirm
and mortal ? what is the nature of that
fou/, tliat fpiritual inhabitant, which, with-
out bavins: committed crime or offence,
is become like the beads that perifli, which
terrors difconcert and annoy, which pains
incclTantly agitate and difturb, and which
is triumphed over, and fubdued by, the
mod unruly appetites and paflions.

§. VIII. I will readily grant, that nothing DjfHcul-
more hijihly irritates our weak reafon, than^^"^^^*
this great myltery or the tranlmillion or a of origin
fin committed fo many ao-es fince. But "^^^l^u?"

•/ & 'avoidable

if our underftandings cannot fathom it,

the deplorable llatc of human nature, ren-
ders it obvious, and that idea which we
entertain of a juft and good God, makes
it indifpenfible ; a God, who cannot wil-
fully render the innocent unhappy, or tor-
ment them merely out of a wanton caprice.
Thus the obfcurity of the principal point

is

^% The T R V T n of the

IS explained and cleared up, by the evi-
dence and demon ft rat ion of two conclufions,
eflentially conneded with it.

It IS true, the manner in which this fin
has paffed down to us, is veiled in obfcu-
rity : but let us grant too, that even from
this fo cloudy a point, there fprings a ray
which gives a light to the whole matter.
And ifj becaufe we cannot fully compre-
hend it> we a.re therefore obllinately to re-
jed: it 5 we (liould further obferve, that we
have not clearer knowledge of any other
thing in the world. God, man, and the
univerfe, quickly fink down into that abyfs
of obfcurity, whence we are unable ta draw
any difcovery : whereas the fubmiffion of
our reafon, in this fingle particular, is' rCr
warded with the knowledge of a multitude
of others ; every thing elfe becomes clear
and evident; the Deity, man, and the uni-
verfe are held forth to us in a point of view,
wherein all which was before latent, is rea-
dily difcerned.

Some few reflexions more, will fi:ill bet-
ter (iemonftrate to us, the; equity of thofe

judgments

Chrillian Religion A^'indicatei. 2j

judgments excrcifed upon us by the Deity,
in the communication of original fin : they
completely (liew how ill the infidel is autho-
rized to pretend that the docftrine of original
fm, is contrary to found rcafon.

We all know the love and tendernefs
which God hath implanted in parents to-
wards their children ; we know that the
pains which their children undergo are more
afHidive and more fenfibly felt by parents
than their own, they would readily facri-
fice their own life to prefer ve that of their
offspring ; becaufe they wifh to live for them
only ; and their utmoft defire is to behold
themfelves renewed in their perfons, and
to render them one day happy. Now this
paternal charader mufl: furely be mod clear-
ly exemplified in that being, who was not
only the firft father, but alfo the father by
way of eminence, as being appointed that
of all mankind. In order therefore to render
Adam fully happy or miferable, according
as' his faithfulnefs or infidelity to his God
fliould dcferve, he mud neceflarily have
been able to communicate happinefs or
n^ifcry to his defccndants. He would have

been

30 "^he T K 15 1: i\ of the

been but imperfedly happy, could he hav6
beheld his pofterity become miferable ; and,
in hke manner, his punifliment would have
been too gentle, if his children had not been
comprized in his misfortunes 3 and thiis vvc
fee, that, after having tranfgrefTcd that
eafy command w^hich God had impdfed
on him, in order to try his obedience -, It
was juft he fhould receive punifhment, not
in his own perfon only, but in that aifo of
his children ; as being the deareft portion of
his fubftance, and more clofely knit to him
in affedion, than even his own members.
The future defcendants from this cur firft
parent, deriving their exiftence only through
him, became therefore the jufl: objecfts of the
divine difpleafure and vengeance. All being
comprized in oiie^ all became finful through
one: and, accordingly, this unfortunate parent
hath been punifhed in all the children compre^
bended i?i bis perfo?ty from the firfl to the
lateft generations.

In order to fee a lively reprefentation 'of
this juftice of the Deity, let us confider a
little, the decifions of human equity. A fa-
ther being degraded, all his dignity is loft

botb

Chrtjlian Religion 'vindicated. ^x

both to himrdf and to his children, thofc
unborn, as well as thofe who are in being :
in him they all forfeit their fortunes, and
all the advantages oi civil foci ety, becaufc
the offence of their father hath occafiontd
their deprivation of them. What then have
they done to merit fuch treatment, which we
have not equally done to merit thofe difpen*
fations which we experience, in confequence
of our dcfcent from our firfl anceftor ?
And what right have we boldly to find fault
with, and criticife upon, the unfathomable
decrees of divine juftice ; decrees whofc
veftiges we trace even in the inferior ordi-
nances of men, and which, notwlthftand-
Ing no one would dare to condemn ? What
wrong or injury have we received at the
hands of God ? He created the firft man
fo perfe(5t, he rendered the talk fo eafy to
him of preferving to himfelf and all his
pofterity, that immenfe treafure which he
had committed to his own perfonal difpofal ;
that we cannot furely complain at feeing
our deftlny involved in Adam's ; and efpeci-
ally as none of us can fay he hath not adted,
morally fpcaking, with him as one and the
fame'perfon. Could we flatter ourfelves,

that

gt The Truth of de

that we {hould have made a better ufe of the
divine gifts and bleffings than he did ? could
we, on our parts, promife more fidelity and
perfeverence iii duty than that mafler-piece
of divine omnipotence difplayed ? Had he
continued in that place wherein his God
placed him, he would, in confequence,
have been renvarded in all his pofterity.
Original righteoufnefs would have been a
common inheritance, and we (hould all
then have blefled the divine goodnefs, for
having comprized in him the happinefs of the
human race. Why therefore, having in the
perfon of that common father, forfeited that
felicity, which he was inverted with, for
our fakes as well as his own : why — now
that human nature is become finful in it's
branches, becaufe it hath become fo in it's
original ftock — why will we rife up rebel-
lious againft divine juftice, and fuffer a blind^
rafh and unruly realbn, to dive into it's un-
fathomable depth ? we have loft nothing
to whichwe had any claim of right ; why
do we complain ? we poffefs many bleffings
which are free gifts 3 why are we not thank-
ful ?

§. IX-

Chrljltan Religion vindicate J. 33

§. X» Inftead, then, of complaining and Original
murmuring a-^ainft the determinations of^'" ^"^i'-^j

p ^ remedied

divine juflice, let us adore them trembling; by re-
let us gratefully acquiefcc in the decree pro- ^"^^ ^°"
nounced upon us; and blefs that mercy
which is offered to us : our misfortune is not
without refource : let us deplore it, but yet
let us confole ourfelves under it. Divine
mercy hath prepared for us a fuperabundant
remedy. Scarcely had we become finners
in the perfon of our firft parent, when God,
full of love and tendernefs for his creatures ;
notwithftanding all that unutterable debafe-
ment which he was to undergo, condefcend-
ed to encourage us by the promife of a
redeemer. He immediately allures man,
that his crime fliall be expiated by a media-
tor, who, being in unity with his own
cffence, will reconcile man with his God.
In and through this divine perfon, (liall man
triumph over the enemy, who hath fub-
dued him ; and by means of the vidory
which he fliall gain, man (hall recover his
ancient rights and privileges ; and all thofe
advantages which he had forfeited, fliall
C be

34 "The Truth of the

be reftored to him, with ufury and ample

rejftitution.

Such are the grand objedls which the
Chrijiian Religion holds up to our view :
objeds, how truly worthy our attention
and our difcuffion ! The Chrijiian Religion
extricates us from all that uncertainty into
which mankind were fo long involved, with
refpedl to their condition. This accounts for
all thofe amazing contrarieties, which unite
in our nature, and explains that enigma,
which not all the fagacity of the greatefl
philofophers could inveftigate. This dif-
covers to us the true ftate of our nature, it's
dignity and bafenefs % it's excellence and it's
mifery ; by demonftrating that man is de-
graded and depraved ; that he hath loft that
intimate communion with his God which
he once enjoyed ; that purity and innocence,
that ihining light, that fublime knowledge,
wherewith he was once endued. And,
that, by reafon of his fall, he hath plunged
himfelf into that abyfs of vice and licenci-
oufnefs, of indigence and wretchednefs,
wherein we behold him at this day.

But

Chnjlidn Religion *vi::d:cciftd.

But It /lops not with expofinfr to man
Ills misfortunes, and pointing out tlicir
fource : it moreover prevents that defpon-
dency, into which the view of fo much
mifcry might pofTibly precipitate liim :
offers to him fovereign remedies, and fhcws
him the certain means of obtaining them.

Can we, then, with-hold our utmofl love
and eftcem from a Religion^ wiiich reveals
fuch glad tidinos to the foul of man ! Can we
fail, at the hrll glance of it, to defire an
infight into the true and folid foundations
of a Religion, wliich affures us of remedies,
io dcfirable, fo falutary, and fg efficacious ?

Of the true and folid foundations of this
Religion, we propofe to fpeak, in anfwer
efpeciidly to the objedtions made by M,
RoufTeau; and as he, with other unbelievers,
flrongly controverts the neceflity not only of
this, but of all Revelcition, our next diffcr-
Lition fliall be employed to fliew fully that
nccelluy,

C 2 DISSEIl-

dy

36 The T RUT n of the

DISSERTATION II.

On theNECES sity of Revel ation^

Stridures T T 7 E now proceed to confider the
feau. V V proofs in favour of the Chrijiian
Religion ; and, in order the more firmly to
eftablifli their evidence, will give fomc at-
tention to the fallacious methods which the
author of Emilius hath made ufe of to de-
ftroy them.

After having prefled feveral leflbns upoa
his young pupil, Emilius : he addreffes his;
difcourfe to him in the following terms :
*^ You will find my expofition [juft before
promifed] treat of nothing more than
Natural Religion : it is very ftrange that
we fhould ftand in need of any other !
*' By what means fliall I find out fuch ne-
^' ceffity ? How can I be blameable for
*"' ferving God agreeably to the didlates of
" the underftanding which he hath given
" me, and the fentiments he hath implanted
" in my heart ? What purity of morals^
'* what fyftem of faith, ufeful to man, or

*' honourable

Chrijllan Religion vindicated. 3 7

'^ honourable to his Creator, can I deduce
*' from any pofitive docftrinc, which I can-
" not as well deduce without it's alTirtance,
*^ by a proper application of my natural fa-
culties ? Let any one fliew me what can
be added, either for the glory of God,
the good of fociety, or my own advan-
*^ tagc, to the duties injoined us by the
" law of nature ; let him fliew me what
'^ virtue any new mode of worrtiip can pro-
*^ duce, which is not alfo the confequcnce
*' of mine ? The moft fublime ideas of the
*' Deity are inculcated upon us by reafom
** alone. Take a view of the works of na-
'' ture, liftento the voice within ; and then
^' tell me what God hath omitted to fay to
^' your eyes, your confcience, or your under-
*^ {landing ; where are the men who can
'^ tell us more of him, than he thus tells us
[' ofhimfelf *?"

What wilful blindnefs is here difcoverable
in RouiTeau, thus to pretend to controvert
the ncccfnty of Revelation ! Was not the
contemplation of his own mind fufficient to
have convinced him of it's abfolute neceflity ?

• Vol. III. p, 101.

What

33 The Truth of the

What fay thofe doubts, and that uncertainty
to him, which he experiences upon thofe
very principal points wherein he is forced to
acqulefcc ? Do not they very clearly point
out to him the abfolute neceffity of Reve-
lation ? — Ought not RoulTeau's perplexities
refpeding both our prefent and future ftate ;
— his doubts concerning the foul's immor-
tality ■* 5 his ignorance of the caufe and ori-
gin of the world ; his embarraffment to
determine whether the world be eternal, or
created : whether there be only one caufe of
all things: or whether there be two, or
many : — Thofe infurmountable difficul-
ties he meets v/ith, in his attempts to vindi-
cate providence againft materialifm, and
w^iich oblige him to annihilate that provi-
dence, even while apparently defending it,
which force him to diveft it of it's moft
excellent prerogatives, by advancing, that
'' none of man's fpontaneous aftions enter
*' into the general fyftem of providence 3"
That '' Providence doth not prevent man
'' from committing evil, either becaufe the
" evil, which fo impotent a Being is capable
*' of doing, is beneath it's notice, or be-

* See Emiiius, Vol. III. ConfelTipn of Faith.

" caufe

Chrijlian Religion vindicated, ^^

'^ caufe it cannot prevent that evil, without
" hiying a reftraint upon man's hberty, and
*' caufing a greater evil, by dcb.ifing his
^' nature * : " — Ought not all thcfe embar-
raffments to have convinced Rouffcau of
the inutility of his efforts for the attain-
ment of truth ? He is obliged to confefs
his unflcilfulnefs, and his ignorance ; and
yet immediately afterwards he goes on to
controvert the necefiity of that remedy
which alone is capable of fupplying his
deficiency : ** The examination, which
*' I am now going to make, fays he to h's
" pi^^pil, fpeaking of religion ; is very dif-
** fcrent : prcfenting to my view nothing
*' h\M perplexity^ tnyjler ioitjhcjs 2inA oljfcurity :
*' I enter on it, therefore, with great
** diftruft and uncertainty, I almoft tremble
** to determine any thing upon the fubjecfl,
" and fhall rather inform you of my doubts
^' than of my opinions. — Lee my difcourfe,
*' however, carry with it no greater autho-
*' rity than that of reafon : for, I own,
'* I am ignorant whether I am in the right
[[ or wrong. Indeed, in all dicufiions^ it

• Sec Vol. III. p. 60.

is

40 T/&^ T R u T H g/* the

*' is a difficult matter not to affume fomer
'^ times an affirmative tone; but remember^
" that all my affirmations, in treating
'' thefe fubjedts, are on\y fo many rational
'' doubts * ; " and, but little above, Rouffeau
had told his Emilius, *' The only thing,
** which under a juft diffidence of myfelf,
*' I requeft of God, — is, that he wiU
** corredl my errors when I go aftray. To
■ ' be fincere, however, I do not think my
•' judgment infallible: fuch of my opinions,
'' as feem to be lefs founded, may, never-
*' thclefs, be falie ; It is to no purpofe,
*' that the illufions by which I am mifled,
*' ariie from myfelf; it is he alone can
*' diffipate them. I have done every thing
'' in my power to arrive at truth, but it's
*^ fource Is elevated beyond my reach -f- :
*' if my faculties fail me with my progrefs,
*' it is neceffary for truth to ftoop tp my
'' capacity j."

Ra{hly blind and proudly ignorant man !
who fees not that he had rather pofTefs the

* Vol. III. p. 100. f See the preceding differ-
tation. X Vol. III. p. 98.

extravagant

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. 4r

extravagant opinions of a wild imagination,
with tlie appearance of humble condcfccn-
fion, than be induced to have recourfc
to a fuperior intelligence ; an intelligence,
vvhicli would not fuffer any of it's votaries
to pride themfelves in the vanity of their
mind ! who fees not that he prefers
being fantaflical and fingular in his own
ideas, however foolifh and ridiculous, to
the judging rationally with the multitude ?
How can he poliibly Hill ftand out with
us again ft the neceflity of revelation, after
having frankly confefled, that in religious
matters, *' His reafon perceived nothing
" but perplexity, inyjlerioufnefs and obfcii^
*' rity '* that, '' Therefore he entered into
** the examination of them with abfolute
*' diffidence and uncertainty '* that, " Re
^* could not determine any thing upon the
*' fubjedl without trembling^'' and after
having declared that all his affirmations were
but fo many doubtful arguments : and that,
*' fuch of his opinions as fcemed to him
*' moft plaufible, might, perhaps, be but
** fo many deceptions ? " — Now does not
all this convince us of the neceflity of
revelation j namely his rejeding that ne-
ceflity

'^i The Truth of the

ceffity in fpite of acknowledgements fo juft
and well founded ? What ! does our reafon
underftand nothing of religious matters 5
finds flie nothing in them but embaraffment,
clouds and darknefs ; and fhall jQie, never-
thelefs, appear to us to be an indefedlive
rule ? fliall we too, notwithftanding this,
be enabled through the affiftance of that
rule, to learn every tenet ufeful to man and
honourable to his maker, which we could
poffibly derive from a pofitive docSrine ? —
What mufl that religion be, which is
pregnant only with doubts, incertainties,
fufpicious arguments, and, perhaps, mere
falflioods ? Is it thus then, that Rouf-
feaii's God would be ferved and adored ?
How excellently will that pupil be taught,
whom fuch a preceptor, as Rouffeau, (hall
have inflrufted in doubts, uncertainties and
fahhoods, as the fum of religion ! worthy
leffons, which, at beft, can only tend to
make his difciple a learned and perfedt fcep-
tic, with regard to every point of religion :
It is not in this manner, that the great
mailer of the Chri/Ua?i Religion^ forms
and inftrufts his difciples ; if he fpeaks to
them, it is with the view to diflipate their

ignorance.

Cbriflian Religion ^-jinJicated, 43

Ignorance, to diflmrden them of their doubts,
to put an end to their uncertainties, and
to banifli from their mii^d?, all error and
falfe opinion. Thus doth He fptrak with
authority, who by his works and his dif-
courfes, clearly proves, that the riejit of
intruding belongs to him alone : feeing
that in him dive II all the treafures of
knoiz'lcdge and loifdom, and that he is the
truth itfclf. But, RouiTeau, (who pretends
to the province of a Teacher, and would
be the inftrudor of others ; without believ-
ing himfelf at all neceffitated to draw
from this common and univerfal fpring of
fcicnce) what, could he poflibly propofe to
us, which mull: not demon (Irate him to
be an unnatural commixture of doubts,
uncertainty, and delufion ? can men ever
be blind enough to prefer fuch a mafter
to that divine teacher, who propofes the chrif-
tian religion to our faith and pradife ?

§. II. Rouffeau is not the only one who^gnoranco
proves to us the Jieceffity of revelation : Theproof°of
darknefs and errors of tlic whole univerfc/^/ ^^^?^

or rcvciji'*

previous to the ellablifliment of the chriftian tion.

and

44. 77j<? T^v tvl of the

faith, depofe highly in favour of this truth^
and clearly convinces us of it,

Thefc are fads which fpeak more Intelligi-
bly, than all the vain arguments of proud rea-
fon J the experience of whofe impotence and
dark ignorance through fo many ages permits
us no longer to attend to it's fuggeftions. What
is more natural than for man, to acknow-
ledge his God, his firft caufe and the uU
timate objecft of his happinefs ? This, all
things publiiTied, all things proclaimed to
him. The grapd viev/ of nature's works,
failed not to point out to man his mailer
and his maker. Daily loaded with his blef-
fings and favours ; every objeft carried his
thoughts up to their great fource : He was
brought fo near to him, that he might even
feel him with his hand*, if we may be al-
lowed the expreffion ; and yet, notwitbftand-
ing all this, how hath he, - — how hath he
not difgraced and difparaged him ? the fun and
ftars ; the fire and the other elements, were
made the higheft objcdts of public adoration ;
powerful kings, celebrated conquerors, and
the authors of inventions ufeful in human
life, foon afterwards received divine honours :

* See Ads xvii. 27.

all

Chrijlian Religion 'vindicated. 45

all things were worfliiped even to very
hearts and reptiles ; and the divine majefty was
transformed into every fpeclcs of infeds, and
animals i of beings material, and infenfible;
every thing z^BoJJuet obferves, became God,
God himfclf excepted : and that world
which God had created, for the manifefta-
tion of his power, feemed to have degene-
rated into a temple of idols.

Some acknowledged thofe for their gods,
which others held in deteftation : every city
and village had it's peculiar deities, and
treated thofe of other places with fovereiga
contempt.

The wifeftand moft enlightened nations,the
Chaldeans, ^Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks
and Romans, were the moft darkly ignorant,
with relpeft to religious matters. So true
it is, that, to be raifed to the knowledge of
thofe things, a wifdom more than human is
required ! Nay, mankind deviated into the
paths of error fo far, as even to deify their
own vices and paflions, and eredt altars, and
eftablifh a mode of worflVip, in honour of
them. Who could venture to enumerate

all

46 The T R \3 T -a of the

all the infamous ceremonies of thofe //;/-
mortal gods, with all their abominable myf-
teries of impunity ? — Their intrigues, their
barbarities, their jealoufies, and every other
enormity, became the fubjedl of their feafls
and facrifices. Hymns were chaunted to
their praife; and pidlures confecrated in their
temples. Thus was fin adored, and deemed
neceffary to the worihip of God. Every
public fervice was only a continual profana-
tion, a folemn, and ferious ^^derifion of the
name of the true God. To thefe number-
lefs corruptions, follies and extravagancies,
they fuper-added the moft barbarous cruelty ;
ordinary vidtims were thought infufficient to
appeafe their irritated gods ; human blood
mufl moreover be ihed, and confounded
with that of beafts : Fathers were feen to
facrifice their own offspring, to burn them
before their eyes, and fubftitute the fume
arifing from their blood, in the place of
incenfe. Thefe horrid facrifices were not
peculiar to a few people : They were com-
mon to all nations without exception, men
every where offered up their own fpecies ;
nor was there a place upon the whole
earth, where thofe dreadful deities were

»ot

Chriflian Religion "oindicatcJ. 47

not adored, wliofc implacable hatred of
the human race, exacted the facriticc of
luch vi(5tims.

Amidft darknefs fo thick, and ignorance
fo profound, men would alfo needs worfi:iip
even the work of their own hands : they
fancied themfelves able to fliut up the divine
fpirit in flatues j and fo abfolutcly forgot
the God who made them, as to fancy
themfelves, in their turn, able to make a
God ! Who could believe this, if experience
did not convince us, that an error thus flu-
pid and grofs, was not only the moft univer-
fal, but alio the mod inveterate and incor-
rigible amongll: mankind ^ fo that we are
compelled to acknowledge, to the deep dif-
grace of human nature ; '' That the great-
** eft of aJI truths, which the whole created
*' world inculcates, and whofe impreffion is
'' the moft powerful, was neverthclefs the
'' moft diftant from the underftandine: and
" perception of mankind."

§. III. Amongft thofe miferably deceived The iir.
mortals, wlio lived in the nradlice of all"""?^'-'

* and In-

tlie above-mentioned crimes and diforderSjConfiaei-

cv of Phi-

wcro '

4S tk T ti V f n cf the

iofopliers v^ere tlie Philofophersy who pafled for the moft
ing Goo. wife and enlighfenfedi Thefe men, whofe
ireafon had been cultivated by fo many nightly
watches, eares, and anxious ftudies, being
left to themfelves, plunged into every kind
ti abfurdity, into the groffeft errors, and
the moft extravagant opinions. It would
require whole volumes to enumerate them.
Every one made himfelf a G O D, after his
own tafte : Some of them maintained, that
the Deity did not, in any manner, intermeddle
with what pafled in the world. That all
it's concerns were left to chance ; and that
it would be a tafk unworthy his dignity,
and inconfiftent with his rcpofe, to trouble
himfelf with that immenfe concourfe of
events, and thofe various interefts, whereof
the world is compofed. Others of them
fubjefted the GOD whom they had invented^
to the fatal neceflity of deftiny, and made
him dependant on laws foreign to his own.
Many of them confounded daemons with
deities, and made no diftindion between
them. There were fome of them who
held that God was nothing diflind from the
univerfe, being only the foul of this great
body. — Another fed: invented o?ie God,

the

Chrljilan Religicn vimVcated. 49

the author and principle of good, and ano-
ther God, the Iburce and caule of all evils
and diforders ; and they fet thcfc two Gods
at eternal enmity, to fupport their rclpcc-
tive rights and privileges. SocrateSy that
celebrated fige, being accufed of denying
thofe Gods whom the people adored, de-
fended himfelf againfl the charge, as ngainft
a crime. Plato, fpcaking of the God who
had formed the univerfe fays, it is difficult
to inveftigate his exiftence, and that he
ought not to be fpoken of, but in a figure
or parable.

§. IV. What monftrous errors appear Refpea-
amongll: the philofophers refpeding the ori-o^iVin of
gin, and firft caufe of the world ? Some of ^^^""^^^^^^
them imagined, that water was the firft
principle of all things ; others thought it
was the air or fire j and fome of them af-
ferted it's formation to be the efFccfl of the
four elements united. There were others,
flill more dark and ftupid, who pretended
that the univerfe was eternal, and without
beginning. Many conceived it to be formed
by a fortuitous concourfe, a lucky jun^ble
of firft bodies, or atoms ; and yet at the f ime
D time

50 I'he Truth of the

time affirmed, that it had no commence-
ment ; while, according to others, all things
were infinite and uncreated. The wifeft of
thefe philolbphers, and thofe who deviated
leaft from the truth, propofed to us a God,
who,, meeting Vv^ith a matter eternal, and
felf-exiflent like himfelf; depending Ox^
him neither in the foundation of it's nature,
nor in it's firft condition, fet himfelf to
work, and fafliioned it hke a vulgar me-
chanic. Now, according to this extrava-
gant fyftem, Matter is made equal with
the Deit\\ and God himfelf becomes com-
pelled and forced in his work, by this very
matter, and by thofe it's difpofitions, which
he never concerted -, and finds himfelf fub-
jedled to fuch laws, as even he himfelf Can-
not infringe. Thefe pretended philofophers^
with all the intelligence their reafon could
afford them, were unable to comprehend
that if matter were felf-exiftent, it could
not have derived it's perfection from a fo-
reign hand ; and that if God be perfed: and
infinite, nothing more could have been re-
quifit^ for the performance of whatever he
would aftcdi, than himfelf, and his own
almightv will.

§. V. How

Cbnjlum JtfUgivi xiniicated. 5 1

5. V. Hd^ many dlfp'Jtes hive arifenR^?^'^-
amongft thefe phibfophers, concerning our;r^i.
cwa nature and effence I Hr-e, the foul was
held a lubtle being; There, a thin vapoiir. In
one fchool they made it out to be partly
mortal, partly immortal ; and in another
they infifted, that it periihed with the body.
Many thought the foul was a portion of
the divine nature, a deity itfelf, a being, eter-
nal, uncreated, and which had neidier be-
ginning nor end. Some gave i: an exiftcncc
previous to the body, into which it afterwards
entered. What (hall I £iv of thofe who be-
lieved the tranfmigration of ibuls ? who
tranfported them from heaven to earth,
from earth to heaven, from felicity to mi-
fery, from milery to felicity again ; who
advanced, that they iiTjed from one body,
to inhabit fucceCvely a multitude of other?,
from the body of man, to that of an horfe
and animals of every fpecies ! — '' A:-
•' cording to tbefe philofophers,** iaid an
ancient author, ** I am at this dcy immcr^,
•' and rejoice in being fo : but prcfently I
may become mortal and irrational ; I
may fpeedily he transformed into every
Da •' kkd

^2 T/jif T RV T H of the

*' kind of lliape or perfon. I may become
*' air, or fire, or water ; and then — almoft
*' inrtantaneoufly I am neither air, nor fire,
*' nor water ; I am turned into a beaft, am
*' mctamorphofcd to a fi(h ; and, in fuc-
*' cellive change, find I have tigers and
'^ dolpliins in my fi-aternity. If I behold
" myfelf, the body which has been provided
*^ me, makes me afraid -, and I know not
*' what name to give it : What iliall I call
'' it ? man, dog, or wolf, bull, bird or
** ferpent, dragon or chimera ? — For thofe
*' my beforementioned fage mafters, meta-
"' morphofe me into every fort of animal,
*' terredrial and aquatic, volatile, favage,
*' and domeftic, mute and vocal, brutal and
*' rational. I fwim, I fly, I am borne aloft
in air, I crawl : I run, and I perch upon
the leafy branches. But here comes the
*' learned Empc clocks^ who will place me in
'' the number of the trees."

Rcfpt-a- §. VI. Wc fliould never finifli, were we
cof>c'itl->n^o relate all the ridiculous and fenfelefs fy-
anddcfig-ftcnis formed by the ancient pbilofophers,
man. upon the molt important points : permit us,
however, to fpeak a word or two concern-
ing

i<

Chrijlian Religion vi7idicafed, 53

ing their opinions of the condition and final
defignation of man. Such of them, who had
fomc fmall knowledge of man's true llate
and excellence (not able to reconcile that
fund of grandeur and fublimity, wMth that
mafs of bafenefs and indigence united in one
and the fame nature) attributed the mean fen-
timents, which ntfcn naturally have of them-
felves, to ingratitude, and pufillanimity. O-
thers, on the contrary, who knew how real,
and innate this mental bafenefs is, have
treated of thofe noble fentiments, fo natural
to man, with a ridiculous pride and often-
tation. The firft, ignorant of the maladies in-
cident to man, no lefs than of their remedies,
have only laboured to augment them, by
leading him to fancy himfelf equal with the
Deity 5 and fuggefting to him, that through
the exertion of his own fagacity, he might
render himfelf like God : on the other
hand, the latter of thefe fages, who per-
ceived in man, nothing but what was bafe,
vile, and contemptible, depreciated him, even
to dcfpair -, and would fain have reduced
him to the condition of the brute bcafls, by
teaching him not to fcek after any other
D 3 good,

^4 ^ 77oe Trv TH of thg

good, than thofe gratifications, which are
common to them.

The opinions of philofophers refpeding
the happinefs and end of man, are almoft
numberlefs. Some of them taught, that it
confiftedin the pleafures offenfe ; that vo-
luptuoufnefs was our fovereign good : others
placed it in exemption from pain : thefe
imagined it centred vin glory and repu-
tation, while thofe refoived it into in-
dolence and floth : a greater number, con-
founding the means with the end, pre-
tended that virtue only is the happinefs of
man ; and wifdom, in itfelf, her own reward.
Thefe blind, proud men thought that man
was fully fufficient to his own happinefs ;
and that he is the fole author of his own
felicity. Their prefumption involved them
in fo abfurd an error, that, after having main-
tained, that their wife men would be happy,
even though fiiut up in Pbalaris's bull -^
they were forced to grant, that it was fome-
times neceflary to fly from, and avoid that
happy life : and, to complete their extra-
vagance, after having advanced, that the

wife

Chrijlian Religion "c indicated. 55

wife man is happy amidfi: all the torments
and afrlidions of this life; yet, when prclTed
with the confidcration of all the miferics,
which might befal him, they willingly al-
lowed, that under fuch trying circumftances,
this fame wife man might put himfclf to
death, in order to procure his deliverance
from this pretended happy life !

But how was it pofflble for him, who was
always happy, and whofe liappinefs was al-
ways in his own power, to lofe it by any
calamity whatfoever ?

Such of the philofophers, who were en-
lightened enough to perceive that man's true
happinefs was not attainable in this life ;
far from referring him to that infinite
fource, who alone is able to fatisfy all his de-
fires ; far from confoiing him \vi:h the
fweet hope of one day poffeffing his defired
felicity ; thought that it was not even poffi-
ble to commence an happinefs upon earth,
b'Jt in proportion, as that divine fountain of
happinefs deigned to communicate himfelf
to us, and permited us to enjoy him. All
their fplendid philofophy terminated in pro-
D 4 mifing

56 T7j^ T R u T H ^/ the

mlfing to mankind an abode in the elyfian
fields, where their Ible occupation (hould
be to hold converfe with the fhades of men
deceafed, mutually to relate their paft ad-
ventures ; polTefling the lame defires as for-
merly, for thofe objeds which attach us to
this earth, fighing inceflantly after the wretch-
ed condition of thofe who had furvived, and
impatiently expeding the moment which
fhould give them the fatisfadion of review-
ing the light of day.

Refpea- §. VII. After having run into io many
truths. ^ errors and impieties upon the fundamental
points of religion, thefe philofophers could
not avoid miftakes in their moral precepts.
The ignorance of man's true end, and of the
nature of his foul, necelTarily carried with it
the overthrow of every rule of manners.
Thus, who of thefe philofophers ever knew
that grand precept of the love of God, and
it's extenfivenefs ? With them pride and
felf-love were the foul and main fpring of
all the adions of their life. Their philo-
fophy did but deflroy fome vices, by the
fubftitution of others 3 it taught an oftenta-

tious

57
of die wond, in ocdcrto^nn
dntwofifs jfiplmfrs : kaAakm^z£xr
die &iiieaiid^afjjaiiczDd todjcpofiennt
ofvifloin, dfem^riflom k&lf: iiidiadc£.
UujMM^ Qoe |T"f"**^ alwsjs raiiftl up
dicr mace dmgcraos i^igd i^%

As OBCMCCtMiy CDfitiqufnoeof dicirmo-'
nli^, iKwning wis teat annMigil dicoi bm

a^ed, and 2 fiiperdfioos modc^ ; ia flxxt,

piwcBtvirtiKS: nay.
cxioki be ! : ~"Mngfl dicm but

difivdas coc 3^ : ddcs, die

jLifid, GomeoT- *.
vKcs, hfufkmlr. :
pofidj!

And: ?r£^,ccd

die pcof bcxh by

graic ;_ =5, " diedriok-

*t : —

bebatattfae

^8 The T -Si V T n of the

** feafts of Bacchus^ and in honour of that
*' God." Another of them, after having
condemned every indecent reprefentation,
excepts thofe performed to fuch Gods, as
would be honoured with infamous rites
of this nature. What {hocking practices
do moft of the principles inculcat.d by
thefe pretended wife men excite ? Arijlotk^
for inftance, teaches. That nothing is abfo-
lutely good or evil in itfelf : that the de-
formity of our adlicns arifes from the cir-
cumftances of times and places, not from
the nature of things : infomuch, that a change
of times only is requifite to render that
good, which was formerly evil. Guided by
fuch a principle as this, to what lengths
might mankind run ! what a depravation
of manners did the ir.decent laws of Ly-
curgus, Soloii, and Minos introduce ! what
facrilege and confufion would the eftablifh-
ment of Plato's republic have produced ; —
that philofopher, fo eminently diftlnguilhed
above the refl ! It annihilates the holy in-
flii'jtion of marriage, by permitting a bru-
tal confufion of alliances amongft mankind.
It confounds thofe paternal names and pre-
rogatives which nature hath ever held in

highefl

Chrtjlian Religion vindicated, ^o

higheft efleem, and gives men to the world,
wholly uncertain of their defcent, and con-
fequcntly without focial ties, without ten-
dernels, without affeftion, and even with-
out humanity *.

Such are the wanderings of human rea-
fon ; fuch it's ftrange and deplorable fruits,
even In thole who have paffed for geniufes
fo fublime and profound ! Thefe men ran,
as at a venture, after truths, which were
fealed up from them. They were continu-
ally inventing new fyftems, which ferved
only to remove them ftill farther and far-
ther from thofe grand objedls of their
purfuit. The difciple out-did his mafter,
and only heaped up new errors upon the
former. And this is the utmoft which rea-
fon could effed, fo long as it was left to it's
own direction : there is no error which it
hath not conceived, and brought forth.
Having no fixed and certain rule for it's con-
dudl, it was evidently biaffed by every gale

• See Z,J^;f^'s advantage and neceflity of chriftian reli-
gion, 2 vols. 4to. for full proof of what has been advanced
in the foregoini,^ fedions. See alfo Plutarch'i lives of Ly-
curgus, Solon J 6cz.

of

6o The T iL V r n of the

of human opinions. To day it affirmed,
and on the morrow contefled what the fore-
going day it had maintained. Reduced, at
length, after much difputation, to grant,
that it knew nothing, and that all things
were a chaos impenetrable to it's fcrutiny.

Thus did the Deity laugh at human wif-
dom. He was defirous, by fo long and
fatal an experience, to convince vain and
proud reafon of the depth of it's ignorance,
of it's inability to attain truth. And he hatb
convinced it, by leflbns thus deeply humiliat-
ing, of it's want of a fuperior guide, and a
fupernatural intelligence ; fince, left to itfelf,
it cannot avoid falling into an abyfs of
errors.

Appiica. §. VIII. And now we will beg leave to
RoufTeau.afk RouJfe{iu a few plain and fimple quefti-
ons. — Were not thcfe great men, thefe ex-
alted genius's of profane antiquity, endued
with a reafon as capacious as his own ?
Were they not furnifhed with as many na-
tural affiftances for the inveftigation of truth
as himfelf ? How then, after fo clear a proof
as we have jufl: been giving, can Roujfeau

have

Chrijiian Religion vindicated, 6 1

have the hardinefsto tell his Emilias. " You
*^ will find my expofition treat of nothing
" more than ?iatural religion : it is very
*' ftrange that we fhould Hand in need of
** any other ! By what means fhall I find
*' out fuch neceflity ?" What then ! Is the
ivhole u?2i'vcrjl\ exhaufted with the vain ef-
forts it hath made to diflipate it's darknefs,
infufficient to convince Roujjeau of the ne-
ceflity of revelation ? After fo palpable and
convincing a proof, will he ftill venture to
afk us, '' What purity of morals, what
** fyftem of faith, ufeful to man, and ho-
*' nourable to his maker, can I deduce from
** any pofitive do6lrine, which I may not
*' as well deduce without it, from a proper
*' ufe of my natural Acuities ?" Might not
thofe philofophcrs, whofe extravagancies we
have been confidering, addrefs us in fuch
language, with as much good reafon and
propriety as Rouffeau ?

And yet thefe men, more honeft than
Roiiflcau, were forced to grant that they
could not attain tlie knowledge of truth by
the afliftance of their reafon alone. Po?'-
phyry^ convinced of the inutility of all human

means.

62 Th Trvtu of the _

means, owned he was in expedlation of an
efFedual remedy for the delivery of the foul
from it's doubts and obfcurity * : and even
Julian, accuftomed as he was to deny
whatever was unfupported with the fuUeft
evidence, confefled, that the nature of man
is not of itfelf capable of knowing what is
ufeful for it, and, confequently, has need
of a fuperior intelligence to enlighten and
inftruit it -f-.

Shall not the fad experience then, which
the philofophers, and, with them, all man-
kind have had, of the infufficiency of their
reafon, and every natural faculty, be able to
check and confound the proud prefumption
of a Roufieau ? — Does not the example of
what has already pafTed, prove to him, in
a very ftriking manner, that hum.an crea-
tures, without the affiftance of revelation,
cannot, by the exertion of their reafon alone,
attain to purity of morals, or difcover a fyf-
tem of faith ufeful to man, and honurable
to his Creator ? The hiftory of the aberra-
tions of human reafon iliews us that every

* Apud Aug. L. 10. deciv. Dei, c. 32.
t Apud Cyril. L. 5. contra Julian.

principle

Chriflian Religion vindicated. 63

principle of the law of nature, being almoft
effaced from the hearts of men, it became
neceffary, for the glory of God, for the good
offoclety, and the proper advantage of man
in particular, to hold forth to him anew,
thofe trutlis, which had vaniilied from his
under/landing, and his heart.

Who can help being indignant, when he
hears Rouffeau oftentatioufly advance,
*' That the moll fublime ideas we can form
*' of the Deity, are inculcated by reafon
*' alone ? — *' What ideas of the Deity hath
this reafon inculcated ? What a Deity did it
contrive before it was illuminated by the
rays of revelation ? To this revelation, not
to our erroneous reafon, are we indebted for
fublime ideas of the Deity. This it is,
which hath caufed to difappear by it's fplen-
dor, and hath diffipated by it's power, fo
many opinions injurious to the divine na-
ture. Without this affiftance, we fhould
ftill walk on, blind and groping, as in the
thickcft night, feeking continually in vain,
what our reafon could never difcovcr to us.
Of this truth, Rouffeau furnifhcs us with a
p!arin2: inftancc in himfclf. What are thofe

fine

64 77je Tkv Tit df tk

fine ideas of the Deity, which his reafoa
fuggefts to him ? If he eftablifhes one, in
an inftant after, he either cavils at, or contra*
difts it : Agai», he recurs to it, and foon
afterwards reduces it to a problem, till, at
length, he becomes forced to grant, that he
underftands nothing of the matter. Would
you fee an analyfis of Rouffeau's curious
ideas of the Deity ? He even doubts, whe-
ther or no matter be eternal ; whether there
be one fole caufe of all things^ or whether
there are many. He knows not whether
God created matter^ body^ fouls ^ and the
world. He is obliged to own, That the fingle
idea of creation confoujids him^ and is beyond
his reach *. And (hall this man, thus buried
in the mifts of groffeft ignorance, ftili dare
to aflert, that the fublimell ideas of the Deity
are inculcated upon us by reafon alone ?

But let us fee what this reafon can dif-
cover, even upon the confeffion of RoufTeau
himfelf — " To this term [GOD] fays he,
" I annex the ideas of intelligence, power
" and will, which I have colleded from the
*' order of things ; and to thefe I add that

• See Emilius. Vol. III. p. 72.

'* of

Chrifiian Religion vindicated, 6^

^^ of goodnefs, which is a neccffary confe-
** quencc of their union : but I am not at
*' all the wifcr concerning the eflence of the
*' Being to which I give thefe attributes :
" he remains at an equal diftance from my
** fenfes, and my undcrftanding. The more
^' I think of him, the more I am con-
*^ founded. — I no fooner endeavour to con-
*^ template what he is in hlmfelf; I no
*' fooner inquire where he is, and what is
" his fubftance, than he eludes the flrongefl
*' efforts of my imagination, and my be-
** wildered underftanding is convinced of
" it's own weaknefs. *'* Grant then, poor
and feeble mortal, that you are unable to
know any thing of Cod but what he kindly
condefcends to inform you. At length,
acknowledge the neceflity of a revelation,
which every object, as well within as with-
out you, proclaims ; and be fcnfible, that by
refufmg to fubmit yourfclf to that gentle
and amiable yoke which revelation impofes,
you become the perpetual fport, and wretch-
ed vidlim of a reafon which blinds you ; to
conceal from your fight thofe precipices from
which it would plunge you.
• Vol. III. p. 4S.

E Having;

66 "The Truth of the

Having had fo clear information, of the
iiiipotenceanddelufion of your reafjn \ having
deplored it's follies and aberrations in fuch pa-
thetic terms ; having fketched out to us fo
natural, yet fo loathfome a pifture of them :
By what fatality are you led back again to
the old track ?

*^ I reflected, you tell us, on the unhappy
*^ lot of mortals, always floating on the oce-
** an of human opinions, without compafs
" or rudder ; left to the mercy of their tem-»
** pefluous paffions, with no other guide
'' than an unexperienced pilot, ignorant of
*' his courfe, as well as whence he came, and
*^ whither he is going. I faid often to my-
** felf, I love the truth ; I feek, yet cannot
** find it. Let any one (hew it me, and I
** will readily embrace it. Why doth it hide
*^ it's charms from an heart formed to adore
•* them ? ^'^

Such, then, is the fad condition of men,

according to Rouflcau ; of thofe who have no

other fupport than their feeble reafon. They

. float continually on this ocean of human opi-

Vol. III. p. 20.

nions.

Chrljllan Religion "j indicated. tf>

nions, without rudder or compals, with an
unexperienced pilot, who is ignorant of his
proper courle ; who direds us, without
knowing whence he conies, or whither he
is bound. What rcUance then can be placed
on fuch a guide ?

If Rouffeau fays true \ if he loves truth ;
if he fincerely feeks after it \ let him forth-
with confefs the abfolute neceflity of revela-
tion, fince all his efforts have been unavail-
ing to procure him a knowledge of that
truth ; fince all he bath been able to de^
diicc by his long and painful 7m di tat ions ^ is
but incertitude^ obfcurity and contradiBion, as
well luith regard to the caufc of his cxijience^
as the rule of his condition. But let us hear
him further.

*' In this fituation, proceeds he *, I con-
fulted xhtpbilofophers ; I turned over their
books, and examined their feveral opini-
ons ; in all which I found them vain,
dictatorial and dogmatical, even in their
pretended fcepticifm ; ignorant of notjiing,
yet proving nothing ; ridiculing one ano-

• Vol. III. p. 2 1. & feq.

E 2 ther;

€<

<C

CC

68 The Trv Tit of ihe

ther : and in this laft particular only^

wherein they were all agreed, they feemed

to be in the right -, afFedling to triumph

whenever they attacked their opponents^

they wanted every thing to make them

capable of a vigorous defence* If you

examine their reafons, you will find them

** calculated only to refute ; if you number

*^ voices, every one is reduced to his own

" fuffrage : they agree in nothing but dif-

*' puting : to attend to thefe, therefore,

*' was not the way to remove my uncer-

" tainty. I conceived that the weaknefs

of the human underftanding was the firfl

caufe of the prodigious variety which I

found in their fentiments, and that pride

" was the fecond We are ignorant

** even of ourfelves j we neither know our

own nature, nor principle of aftion ; nay

we hardly know whether man be a fimple

or compound being : impenetrable myf-

*' terics furround us on every fide ; they

*' extend beyond the region of fenfe : wc

^* imagine ourfelves poffeflTed of underfland-

'* ing to penetrate them, and we have only

*' imagination. Every one ilrikes out a way,

l[ which Jie thinks good > but no one knows

*' whether

CC

<c

Chrijlian Religion "^indicated, 69

*^ whether it will lead him to the point he
^^ aims at. We are yet defirous to pene-

*' trate, to know every thing; we

** had much rather determine at random,
" and believe the thing which is not, than
" confefs that none of us is capable of fee-

*' ing the thing that is But were the

*^ philofophers even in a fituation to difcover
•' the truth, which of them wouW be inte-

*^ refted in fo doing ? Each of them

*' knows very well that his fyftem is no
^ better founded than thofe of others ; he
** neverthelefs defends it, becaufe it is his
" own. There is not one of them, who
*' really knowing truth from falfliood
" would not prefer the latter, of his own
" invention, to the former, difcovered by
** any body elfe. Where is tlie philofopher,
** who would not readily deceive mankind,
" to increale his own reputation ? Where is
" he, who fecretly propofes any other objev!t
'* than that of diftingailliing himfelf from
** the reft of mankind ? Provided he raifos
'' himfelf above the vulgar, and carries
*' away the prize of fame from his com-
** petitors; what doth he require more ?
y Themoft cfTential point is to think diftc-
E 3 *' rent!/

I'he Truth of the
*' rently from the reft of the world. Among
*' believers^ he is an atheift, and among
" atheius he affeds to be a believer."

Nothing can be added to the pidure here
drawn by Roaffeau of the philofophers of
our time : it flatters not, nor ought it to
be fufpedled, fince the author is a perfedt
connoillcur in this kind of writing : obferve
we the confequences he draws from it. " I
^^ could fee further, he concludes *, that,
•^ inftead of clearing up any unneceiTary
*' doubts, the philofophers only contributed

to multiply thofe which moft tormented

me, and refolved abfolutely none. I there-
" fore applied to another guide, and faid to

myfelf, let me confult my innate inftruc-
** tor, who will deceive me iefs than I may
*' be deceived by others ; or, at leaft, the

errors I fail into will be my own, and I
*' fhall grow Iefs depraved in the purfuit of
'* my own illufions, than in giving myfelf
[' up to the deception of others.'*

How abfurda conclufion ! — Who would
not have thought that RoufTeau — after hav-
ing fo clearly perceived and demonftrated the
infufliciency of the reafon of our philofo-
phers,
• Vol. III. p. 24.

Chrijlian Religion vindicated, 'j i

pliers, for the dilcoveiy of truth — mufl
have concluded other lights and aflift-
ances to be neceflary, than thofe with which
it furniflies our minds ? Is not this the rati-
onal inference from all his confeffions ? If
the iveaknefs of the human iindcrjlanding is. the
Jirjl caufe of that prodigioui diverfity in the
fentiment^ of our philofophers j if we are fo
limited, that we are ignorant of our very
fehes ', that we neither knoiD our own nature^
nor the principle of our anions : nay, that we
hardly know whether man be af.mple or com-
pound being: — if in order to penetrate into the
impenetrable myfteries which furround us on
every fide ^ we imagine ourfelves pojfejjcd of im-
derjlanding^ while we have only imagination to
affift us : \{,no one can know whether the way
hefrikes out will lead him to the point he ainn
at — How can any one be fo blind, as to
rejedl the neceflity of revelation ! How can he
hefitate to acknowledge the need of a fuper-
natural intelligence to deliver us from all thofe
endlefb doubts which incefiantly perplex and
torment us ; and to raife us from that flate of
trouble and anxiety into which we are caft
by the uncertainty and contradiction of our
minds, with refpedl to the mod: important
points ? In fliort, liiice the philofophers could

E 4 not

72 The Truth of the

not, after ell their efforts^ fettle our doubts ^
even were they in a condition capable of
difcovering truth, becaufe, no one of them
li'ould be inter ejled in fo doings, becaufe there
is not one of them, who, though really know~
i?2g truth from faljhood, would not prefer
the chimcera of his own invention^ to the truth
difcoi:ered by another : becaufe all, without
exception, have no other objeB in view, than
to diJlinguiJJj themfelves, and every one for
the advancement of his own reputation, would
readily deceive all mankind : — What remains
for us, then, but to defire the kind affiftance
of a guide, incapable either of deceiving, or
being deceived ; who, becoming our furety'
and proteflor, may ftrike out for us a certain
path to our God, and fhield us as efFedlu-
ally from felf-delufions, as from the decep-.
^ tions of others ?

Tarthcr §* ^^* ^'' ^^"^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ hitherto
proof cf obferving, being confirmed by the teftimo-

fity of rV "^*^s given by Rouffeau, ought abundantly to
relation, fatisfy US, that man, in his prefent ftate, is
under an abfolute neceffity of divine reve-
lation^ in order to a right knowledge of the
Pcity, of his own true condition and defig-

natioii.

ChriJIian Religiofi vindicated. 73

nation, of what he owes to his God, and of
the acceptable manner wherein to ferve and
honour him.

But befide that iftternal worfiip and ho-
mage which man owes to his Maker ; he
is further bound to pay an external adoration,
whofe firft fruit is the foul -, and which can-
not be thoroughly underftood but by the
afliftances of revelation.

The profound abafement of our fouls,
under a juft fenfe of the infinite majefty of
heaven ; fentiments of tender and ardent
love, of unfliaken confidence in his goodnefs,
and of lively gratitude for his bleffings, are,
undoubtedly, the chief and principal parts of
that worfhip which we owe to the fupreme
Being. Without thefe, all elfe is but hypo-
crify and filfliood ; w^e do but affront him
with a lip homage ; we vainly feek to impofe
on him by outward appearances, deftitute of
that devotion which they are but the mea?2S
to exprefs ; and we may reft aflured, that
all fuch fervice is only an abomination in
the fight of the invifible Being, who fi-
thoms the v(:ry ground of our h.carts. But,

at

«^ "The T K \J T n of the

it the fame time, it would be as dangerous
an illufion to imagine, that internal worfhip
is all which the Deity requires of us.

Man, being compounded of a body and
a foul, he owes to his God the homage of
them both ; and juftly doth the Deity de-
mand man's reverence and obedience, as well
by the actions of his body, as by the fenti-
ments of his foul. Whatever man is and hath,
proceeding wholly from God, and belong-
ing to him, — it is moft reafonable, that all
fhould concur to render the divine Donor
that religious adoration which is his due.
The body, then, muft necelTarily be united in
worfliip with the foul ; it fhould conftitute
but one votary with the foul ^ it fhould be
tlic high-prieft of her religion ; the witnefs
to depofc her fentiments ; the foldier to fight
boldly in their defence.

The condition to which mankind is re-
duced, and that dependance, which minds
have on bodies, require they fhould be ad-
vertifed by a woriliip which ftrikes the
fenfes, to enter into the ideas which
they ought to have of the Deity. It is this

external

Chri/lian RcHgio?i v'uuilcafed. ^5

external of reli^ilon which fuftains the foul
which flirs up and aflifls her to elevate her-
fclf to God. What a confolation does it
afford her,^ to be, by thcfe external aids,
enabled to exprefs the fentiments wherewith
Ihe is animated -, to find in them a fupple-
ment to her piety, and means fo natural to
enflame and augment it ! Take from her
thefe fenfible objeds, and you will prefently
perceive her religion to wax feeble, and de-
cline into a languor, which will infallibly
introduce an utter extindion of her firft con-
ceptions.

Man holds the middle ftate between God
and the reft of the creatures : all of them
are calculated for his fervice ; all are made
for him. It is his part to offer up to God
the praifcs of all created beings, of whom
he is the centre and conncdting bond. It is
through him they are to return to their great
firft caufe, as they all derive exiftence from
him. He is rcfponfiblc, on behalf of all the
other creatur(^, to difcharge their obligations
to their Creator. He is their foul and their
intelligence. He is their voice and their fiib-
ftitute, Man, therefore, the eftablilhcd high-

pricft

^^ Ti'he Truth of the

pneft of all creation, fliould obferve a public
and folemn form of adoration, whereby to
acknowledge the fupreme dominion of God
qver ali, to teftlfy a reverence of him as the
author and lord of all created beings, and to
render him, in their names, the homage of
their dependence and fervitude,

Mankind, in fhort, being ordained to live
in fociety, and to form a religious body,
which may more clofely unite them than all
the ties of nature and of biood ^ it is neceffary
they fliould have a vifible worihip, whereby
mutually to manifefl their inward diipofi-
tions, and the fentiments of their hearts to-
wards God : they jGhould edify their bre«
thren, by the example of their piety, and
lead them, by thefe Simulating expreffions
• of public adoration, to render the Deity
thatworfhip, homage and refpedl, which fa
juftly are his due.

Thefe fentiments, and thefe principles
are fo natural, fo deeply engraven on the
heart of man, that v/e have feen in all ages,
a mode ofworjkip^ altars, facrijices and daySy
fet apart, and confecrated to the honour and

fervice

Chrijlian Religion 'vindicated, nj

fervice of a true or a pretended God,
Idolatry itfelf, which, in procefs of time,
ahnoft overfpread the whole earth, hatli
borne full teilimony to this eflential point
in religion.

Indeed the devils, wlio then pafled them-
felves upon the world for God, and affected
all thefe externals, knew that they were the
appendages of divinity, and the duties of the
creature. When they demanded of their
followers, temples, altars, proceliions, fa-
crifices, and whatever conftitutes an ex-
ternal form of worihip ; it was becaule they
knew that all thefe were due to him, whofe
name they affumed, and whofe glory they
ufurped. People of all nations acquiefced in
their demands, only becaufe they were fully
perfuaded of the fame truth. It is therefore
evident, that no one can cavil at the neceffity
of an outward form of worfliip, without doing
violence to his reafon and underftanding,
and offering the groffeft affront to the de-
clared and univcrfal affent of all nations.

But the external worfliip, which God re-
quires of us, muft not be left to the choice

and

jS Tbe Truth of tLe

and caprice of every private perfon. To be
agreeable to God, it muft be regulated by his
injundlions, and confonant to his will: It is his
province to prefcribe it to us : he ought to
be it's principle, as he is it's end : It is there-
fore for him to manifefl: to us, by revela-
tion, that particular method of adoration,
which he requires : for reafon cannot fug-
geft to us the free and pofitive will of the
Deity in this matter : it is too remote from
our ideas and appreheniion. Nothing but
the declaration which God himfelf fliall be
pleafed to make, can communicate this
knowledge, and afilire us of our confor-
n:iity with what he requires of us. And,
confequently, — whether wt confider revela-
tion, with reference either to internal or ex-
ternal worfhip — both concur to demonftrate
it's abfolute neceffity *.

§. X. We

* It may not be improper to obferve what Roufleau of-
fers by way of objedion to the pro<^l here urged. " That
** the worfhip of God, fays he, iliould be uniform, I
** grant is neceflary, and I would have it fo : but is this a
*' point fo very important, that the whole apparatus of
** divine power was neceffary to eftablifh it ? Let us not
** confound the ceremonials of religion with religion itfelf.
<* The worfliip which God demands, is that of the heart ;
«' and this, when it is fincere, is ever uniform : Men

<< mufi

Chrijlian Religion "fifidicated, yg

5. X. We agree with RoufTcau, that^"^^"^^^
the Deity requires to be worfliipcd in fpirit efTcntial
and in truth. That the adoration he aiks ^° .*'''^^''''*
of us, is that of the heart j but no one can

thus

<* mufl entertain very ridiculous notions of the Deity in.
•* deed, if they imagine he can intereft himfclf in the
** gown or cafTock of a prieil, in the form of words he
** utters, or in the geftures and genuflexions he makes at
** the altar. Alas ! my friend, where istheufe of knec-
** ling ? Stand as upright as you will, be fatisfied you
** will be always near enough the earth. God requires
'* to be worlhiped in fpirit and in truth. This is a duty
•* incumbent on men of all religions and countries. With
** regard to exterior forms ; if, for the fake of peace and
** good order, their uniformity be expedient, this is
** merely an affair of government, and furcly requires not
** the aififtancc of revelation. '*

All this, plainly, is downright fineffe : RoufTeau endea-
vours to change the fubjeft with his readers only, that at
all events, he may more furely deceive them, and dazzle
tiieir imaginations with low and ridiculous buffoonery.
** Men, fays he, mud have very foolifh notions of God
*' to imagine he can intereft himfelf in tlie particular habit
•' of a prieft, in the order of words he pronounces, or
*< in his geftures or genuflexions at the altar." But when
or where did this unreafonable and difingenuous writer
hear it faid, that revelation was requijitc to prefcribe the
mode of a priclVs habit, his geftures and genuflexions ?
Can he be iijnoraiu, that all tlicfe inferior circumftances
Viiiy according to times and places ? Docs the founda-
tion

8d 5^^ Truth of the'

thus worfliip God, but fo far as heconforttig
to that external worfhip, which God im-
pofes upon all his true followers. To refufe
fubmiffion to this injun(ftion is to be proud,

to

tion and efTence of external worfhip confift in thefe parti-
culars ? Is not the performance always eflentially the fame,
whatever may be the priell's habit, geftures or genu-
ilexions ? — But he will be taken, as we humbly apprehend,
in the fnares he feems fo defirous to have laid for others ;
and foon find his own words a fufRcient confutation of what
he advances. The prieji he refers to, — not the peculiar
fafliion of his gown : — The altar he mentions, and the
facrijices there offered, — not the feveral geftures and
emotions there exercifed, are what really conftitute the
effence of external worfhip. Thefe lire the important points,
which if required the full exertion of the divine power to
eftablifh on a folid foundation. Indeed, facrifice being
due to God, and to him only, it became him to point out
fuch a one as might be moft agreeable to himfelf, and to
prefcribe to mankind an order of priefts and minifters, to
offer it up to him. Ro-ufTeau talks of not confounding the
ceremonials of religion with the duty itfelf : — But how-
hath he profited by this leffon ? He is tardy in this very
inftance ; fmce with a view to delude his readers, he has
wilfully confounded fome accidental ceremonies of extef*
nal worfhip, with the effentials of that worfhip itfelf.

But he goes on : " Alas, my friend, ftand as upright
** as you will, reft fatisfied you will always be near
«* enough the earth." Could this feeble worm, this child
of duft, venture thus to exprefs himfelf, if he were duly
fenfible of his own unworthinefs and depravity, and of the
infinkc excellence of the fypreme Being ! Ought he not

rather

Chrijllan Religion ^vifidlc/ited. 8 1

to defpife and contemn him, and it is im-
piety to rejedt that which conflitutes a part
of true piety. Now, all external worfl:iip
has reference to a renovation of the heart,
as it's principal end; it tends only to confirm
the dominion of God within us, and to di-
redl and invigorate U9 in the performance
of internal worfhip. It is defigned only to
infpire us with fentlments of love and gra-
titude, to awaken our devotion, to purify
our hearts, to detach them from earthly
confiderations, and to exalt and unite them
to him, who is the alone worthy objccfl of
their contemplation. Such is the end of all
external worfliip. And any one may from
hence eafily perceive how greatly he injures
it, who regards it as foreign to the adora-
tion in fpirit and in truth 3 fince it is the rule,
the model, and the bafis of it.

rather to have addrefTed his pupil thus ? ** Shouldeft
*' thou, my friend, abafc thyfclf, and be confounded as
" much as polTible, before the fovercign Majefty of hea-
*' ven, thou couldell never fufficiently teflify thy abfolute
*' dependence upon him, thy extreme poverty, and his
*' infinite fublimity and excellence. Before this God,
*' whom thou worfhipeft, whatever is great in heaven
*' and earth, is cjlipfed ; under ajuft fenfe of this awful
" Majefty, every being fhould be abforbed and annihi-
** lated." Thus ought the man to cxprefs himfclf, who
finccrely deilres to worlhip God in fpirit and in truth.

F It

82 The Tv.\5rnofthe

It would certainly, as we have before ob-
ferved, be a very grofs error and fuperfti-
tion, to think of pleafing God, and paying
him the homage he reafonably expeds from
us, by proceeding to thefe outward demon-
ftrations, and refting there, without any con-
cern to make the fecret difpofitions and emo-
tions of our hearts perfeftly correfpond.
It would be in vain to burn incenfe on the •
altars of the Lord ; in vain w^ould facri-
fices be multiplied : if the heart burned not
at the fame time with the fire of love toward
God 3 if it were not entirely facrificed and
devoted to his glory and fervice. It would
be affronting the fupreme Majefty in the
moft enormous degree, to think of giving
him honour, without the joint oblation of
love. But then too, it would be another
miflake, and fatal deception, to pleafe our-
felves with the thought of worfliiping God
in fpirit and in truth, without a careful ob-
fervance of that external worfliip, which is
fo neceflary a concomitant of the former.

When

Chrljlian Religion 'vindicated. 83

When the heart is well regulated, when
it*s love and affedions are fincerely dedi-
cated to God, it will never think of difput-
ing with him the outward evidences and
profeffion of the juft fcntiments it enter-
tains. To a heart glowing with love, it
would be too painful a denial to with-
hold the outward teftimonies of it's fub-
miffion and refpedl ; the public and fignal
proofs of it*s homage and adoration. Afoul
full of affection for it's God, cannot delay
the ardent exprefiion of whatever may re-
dound to his honour ; nay, religion itfelf
can hardly fupply it with exercifes and means
fufficient to latisfy the fervor which con-
fumes it.

It very wtU fuits the propcnfity of our
infidels, to turn into ridicule the pradfices
and duties of external worfhip, and to re-
prefcnt them as the province of weak un-
derftandincTs, and vul^xar fouls ! Who are
thcfe men, then, who vaunt fo much of
their reafon, their fuperior abilities, and
ftrengLh of undcrAanding ? Let any one
F 2 follow

$4 1'he Truth of the

follow and examine them, and he will find
every inclination of their minds the moft
groveling and mean : he will find them to
be fordid fouls, over whom every paflion
domineers ; who are only influenced by
the wanton caprices of humour, and the
irreeular fu^eeftions of their imagination ;
and who are guided folely by the inftinft of
the fenfes, like irrational animals. What
is there to be feen in them, which is noble,
elevated, worthy the ftrength and excellency of
reafon ? With them every qualification confifl^
in a vain oftentation of fine words andfpeeches.
But their reafon, their magnanimity, their
pretended philofophy would difappear, and
abandon them in thofe emergencies, when
it fliould become neceflary to give proof of
their reality. They are therefore nothing
more than fo many children, than feeble
reeds, which every wind agitates at pleafure.
Are the duties of religion brought in quef-
tion ? They then affedt a Angularity, a
ftrength and fuperiority of mind, which
every thing within them belies. If they arc
ftrong, it is againft God ; but they are even

weakiiefs

Chrijllan Religion vindicated. 8j

weaknefs itlelf, when the point in hand is
to combat their own hearts.

What do men like thefe poflefs in
common with thofe heroes, whom religion
hath made fuch ; with thofe great fouls fo
worthy our veneration for their eminent
underflanding and virtues, fo infenfible to
every earthly enjoyment, fo generous, fo in-
trepid in every danger, fo difpofed to facri-
fice every thing for their God ? And yet,
fuch men as thefe mingled themfelves
with the ignorant multitude, in the exer-
cifes of divine worfhip. The more exxel-
lent they were in every other circumllance,
fo much the more lowly and fimple did
they become, when the fervice of God re-
quired them to perform the duties of piety.
Thofe admirable men placed all their de-
light in pouring forth their fouls in thefe
outward expreflions, and in jointly animating
their hearts by thefe mutual teftimonies of
faith and devotion*

But we need not be furprized, if our mo-
dern infidels teftify contempt only for out-
ward woffhip, and feek to bring it to no-
F 3 thing.

86 The Truth of the

thing. This is not what they immediately
aim it ; their (hafts are levelled againft that
worfliip in fpirit and in truth, which they
feemingly fet off and embellifli, only for
form's fake, and the better to cover their
defigns. They dare not attack it openly ;
but they ftrike at it through the fides
of external worfliip, which they know to
be it's bulwark and ftrmeft fupport. They
would fain abolifli this external worfhip,
which lays them under uneafy reftraint, and
fubjecfts them to pafs for impious perfons for
not iiQing conformably to it's rules. Could
they but fucceed in their attempt, they would
foon after, in the fecret of their heart,
ridicule that internal vjov(K\^^ of which they
now boaft ; and would enjoy, undifturbed,
without fear, and without reproach, the
wretched fruits of their deplorable infidelity.

Whatever has been hitherto advanced,
confirms and demonftrates the neceffity of
external worjhip -, and this neceffity, as we
have feen, proves, in it's turn, that of a

Revelation,

§. XI.Thefe

Chrijlian Religion vindicated, 87

§. XI. Thefe are the proofs we have The dif-
to offer in favour of revelation ; and, f*-irely, J^^^jfj!^.[
he mufl be blind, who can refift their cvi-of fint, a
dence ! I might have difpenfed with pro-p"oofof
ducins fo many of them : fince, after h;iv- ^^^^ '^^.*^^^'
ing eflablifhed the exijleiice of original fin *, ^jdutUn,
the natural confequence refulting from it,
is certainly a neceflity of revelation. In-
deed, do not the prodigious changes, which
that fin wrought in our nature, the general
confufion introduced by it, and the deep
afflidlions which it hath occafioned^ — do not
all thefe fatal and lamentable attendants on
ouvfall^ unite to convince us, that the firft
'ftate of things having been troubled and in-
verted, we enter into a flate wholly new ;
and are reduced to the neceflity of applying
different means to repair the ruins of our
former wreck ?

Now, among ft thefe means, we muft cer-
tainly reckon revelation ; fince that, and
that alone, can difpel the thick darkncfs
wherein our minds are involved , and
which, as wc have obferved, is^ one necef-

• See /iril Diflcrtation,

F 4 iiry

88 The Trv T n of the

fary confequence of the crime committed
by our whole race, in the perfon of our firft
parent.

But further, man having rendered himfelf
guilty, and become a traitor to his God,
and fo, worthy of every infliction of divine
wrath ', diverted of all the gifts of his bounty j
and of himfelf wholly unable to repair the
outrage offered to the fupreme Majefty ;
what refource, what hope yet remained for
him ? What pofTible method fhall he take
to bring himfelf into favour with the of-
fended Deity ? How (hall he even dare at-
tempt it ? What means fufficiently effica-
cious {hall he employ to fucceed in the grand
defign ? What fliall man offer to his God,
^ in compenfation for his fault, and in dif-
charge of his mighty debt ? All within him
is polluted ; fin hath wholly infedled him •
what fhall he prefent to his Maker, which
may prove agreeable to him, or worthy of
his acceptance ? In vain would he call the o-
ther creatures to his aid : He is too much above
them 5 and they are all too far beneath
God, to perform the high part of a Medi-
ator. Whatjthen fhall become of lofl, fallen

man !

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. 89

man ! unlefs the Deity himfclf voiichfafc to
I'peak, and teach him the path he (hould
parfue ? — He muft: either abandon himfelf
to a fearful defpair, helplcfs, hopelefs ; and
plunge from gulph to gulph in cndlefs dif*
tradtion ^ or, through another as dangerous
extreme, prefamptuoufly think himfelf able
to effeft a reconciliation with his God, by
his own efforts and fervices ; and, adding
pride to his unworthinefs, pretend tg ap-
proach the throne of the Deity, without
having previoufly appeafed him. This vain
confidence would but tend more and more
to irritate the angry God, and to place new
obflacles in the way of his reconciliation.
Man would exhauft himfelf in a thoufand
vain and fruitlefs attempts, without advanc-
ing one ftep nearer to the defired end : his
labour always fruitlefs, would avail him no-
thing, and leave him continually to languifli
under the load of his mifery, without find-
ing any ilTue or conclufion.

It was neccffary, therefore, that the di-
vine goodncfs Ihould come in to the fuccour
of man, and, preventing his defpair, point
out to him the path for the recovery of his

happinefs.

ga Tie T R V T n cf tie

happinefs. It was neceflary he fhould be
apprized of the methods appointed by divine
wifdom, for the reftoration of it's degraded
image, for the reparation of that rebellious
outrage, which man, who bore it, had com-
mitted againft his Maker.

A detail §, XII. And fuch is the conduft which
veiation '^^^ infinite mercy of our God hath approved
of the of in our behalf. Scarcely had man fallen,

great pro- , j . »

mife of a and declined from his firft ftate, before God
^^'^^^'"^^announces him a deliverer^ who (hould re-
leafe him from that flavery to which his in-
fidelity had reduced him : who fhould con-
firm anew that facred communion between
GcD and man, which had been interrupted
by his fall, and reinftate him in all thofe
glorious privileges, of which he had been
defpoiled.

This great promife could be the only
ground of hope to Adam and his pofterity.
It was given in this manner to the father
of the human race, that it might be tranf-
mitted by an uninterrupted tradition, down
to his rcmoteft defcendants. It was carefully
preserved by fuch tradition for a time ; but

very

Chrijllan Religion vindicated. 91"

very foon the turbulent pafllons of mankind
iinmcrfed it in almofl total oblivion : — It
was in a manner buried amidil: tliofc crimes
and diforders wherewith the earth was
overfpread. Ever attentive to his promile^
God renewed it a fecond time to Noah, the
father of the new world ; and yet, notwith-
flanding this, the divifion of languages, and
the idolatry which followed clofe upon it,
effaced the remembrance of this gracious
difpenfation from the minds of almofl: all
nations. It was upon the point of being
wholly lofl:, even in the midfl: of Shem\
family, chofen for the purpofe of preferving
the ficred dcpofit -, when the Deity, always
jealous for the veracity of his engagements,
employed frefli means to perpetuate the me-
mory, and aflure the accomplifliment of
them.

For God then cleftcd Abraham and his fa-
mily to become the repolitory of the ancient
tradition, and to preferve, through their
miniflration, the ancient faith, the true mode
of worfl^ip, and the primitive religion. This
is that Abraham fo celebrated amongfl: the
orientals. The Hebrews are not the only

people

gz 7X^ Truth of t/je

people, who regard him as their father * :
the Idumaans glory in the fame origin. The
Arabs alfo acknowledge their defcent from
liim, by his fon lihmael. They all ftridly
obferve the rite of circumcifion^ as a proof of
this original. They have always impofed it,—
not as the Jews, on the eighth day^ but at
the age of three years ; the time when the
fcriptures inform us, it was adminiftered to
Ifhmael their anceftor. We find the fame
cuftom obtain amongft the Mohammedans,
It would be ufelefs to relate here all that the
ancients have told us concerning Abraham.
The Chaldeans and the Syrians have written
many things of this great man.

All thefe proofs fuffice to (hew that the
pirfon here mentioned, is not a fabulous
one, nor his ftory a fiction or impofture.
What we fhall take occafion to obferve in
the fequel on eftablifhing the truth of the
fcriptures, will ftill farther demonftrate the
veracity of thofe out- lines which characSer-
ize Abraham.

• See the very excellent Bibliotheque Orientak of Herli'
lot on the word Abraham, We have the pleafure to aflurc
the public, that a tranflacion of this moft ^^ahable and
admired work is preparing for the prefs, by an able hand.

With

Chrijlian Religion vifidicated. ^ j

With this celebrated man, God was
pleafed to renew hispromileof a Redecmsr :
lie engaged, to this holy patriarch, to blefs,
in his race, all tliofe blind and ignorant na-
tions, who, at that period, had forgotten
their Creator. By virtue of this precious Hem,
they fliall one day be enlightened and re-*
called to the knowledge of Him, who is
the only fource of every bleffing.

Till that time, God had communicated
no part of his will by writing, which might
ferve as a rule for mankind. Circumcifion,
and the ceremonies which accompanied it,
were inftead of articles of that alliance
which God made with Abraham and his
pofterity 5 it ferved to diftinguifli them from
the idolatrous nations, by confecrating them
to the worfliip of the God of Abraham,
Ifaac and Jacob : and was an ever vifible and
fubfifting monument of the promifes made to
their forefathers.

At length the acra marked out in the decrees
of divine providence arrived. God would no
longer leave the myftcries of his religion

and

94 "I^^he T K V r n of fbe

and his covenant to the treacherous memory
of mankind. It was time to oppofe the
ftrongeft barriers to that idolatry, which,
making new progrefs every day, would foon
have ftifled the feeble remains of natural
reafon. From the time of the patriarch
Abraham, ignorance and barbarifm took pro-
digious ftrides, and every nation was al-
ready become corrupt.

Mofcs. §• XIII. To this great work, Mo/es was
the perfon called and appointed of God 3 by
whofe order, and under whofe infpiration,
he compofed the hiftory of religion, in every
paft age, from Adam, to the time in which
he wrote. In thefe divine books are to be
found the plan and defign of religion, for all
times.

Mofes had no need for deep refearches to
coUedt the traditions of his anceflors. He was
born but one hundred years after the death
of Jacob. The old men of his time had fe-
veral years together converfed with that holy
patriarch. The memory of Jofeph, and of
the miracles which God wrought by the
means of this great minifter for the iEgyp-

tiara

Chrijlim Religion vindicated. f J

tian kings, were all ftill recent. The life of
a fmall nunfiber of men, at that period,
reached back to the very beginning of things.
Lamechy who hnd feen Adaniy had alfo fcen
Sfhem ; Shcm had at leaftytv« Abraham^ and
Abraham had feen Jacob, who alfo had fecn
thofe who lived in the time of Mofes.

This longasvity of the firfl men, related
in the annals of God's people, was not un-
known to other nations 5 their ancient tra-
ditions have alfo preferved the memory of
it. In the antiquities of Jofephus, all poffible
proofs are found. This too was an excel-
lent method, concerted by divine providence,
for the prefervation of truth amongfl men.
Why are not ive^ in thefe latter ages of the
world, as flimiliarly verfed in the events
which occurred amongft our anceftors ? Be-
caufe it rarely happens, that we have lived
with them 5 or becaufe they are often dead
before we have attained the age of difcretion.
Now, on the contrary, the firfl men lived
forfeveral centuries j their children converfed
with them for a long feries of time : by this
means they cafily learned the hillory of thofc
who had gone before them, and could after-
wards

^ The TKiJT'a of the

wards tranfmit that hiftory by the fame chan-
nel to their defcendants. Thus, when
Mofes wrote his books, the remembrance of
thofe incidents which he relates, mufl have
been ftill frefh amongft the Jews : and there-
fore too that facred legiflator fpeaks of them,
as of certain fads, which were ftill to be
coUeded from authentic records among the
neighbouring people, and more particularly
in the land of Canaan. Mofes then mufl
be efteemed as an hiftorian contemporary with
his fubjeft , and his hiftory, as the moft au-
thentic in the world.

And, indeed, can any one fail to obferve
in that hiftory all thofe marks of fincerity
and truth which characterize this great man ?
—Would an impoftor, defirous of deceiving
a whole nation, have difplayed fuch a con-
dudt ? Would he have related palpable
events, of which the whole world could
have been informed ? — A man, fo fkilful
as Mofes, would certainly have taken mea-
fures to prevent his being deteded of im-
pofture ; he would have thought to ftcreea
himfelf among a multitude of generations ; a
method, which would eafily have concealed

the

Clyrljlian Religion "oindicatcd, gy

the knowledge of the truth. But, by the
method he has taken, it was impoflible, had
he defigned never fo much to deceive, that
his deceit fliould have pafTed undetedled.
'' You tell us, (the Jews would have natu-
rally faid to him) of things, which we
** know nothing of, nor have ever heard
*' mentioned: and yet, if all thefe fadts are
*' true, we ought to have been acquainted
** 'with them, by means of that fmall num-
*' ber of generations, which you reckon up
*' fmce their accompUQiment : we mud have
*' ahnoft touched upon thofe great events ;
*' they muft have been publicly notorious
** amongfl us. Certainly, then, you are an
'* impoftor, who only feck to delude us un-
** dcr thefe pretences."

Whatever Mofes has advanced, agrees alfo
admirably with what the mod ancient and
learned hiftorians of other nations have re-
lated to us. We may read in Jofephus that
multitude of teflimonies given by itgyptian,
Chuldee, Phoenician and Greek authors,
whom he quotes again ft Apion, to prove the
antiquity of his nation, and to confute the
ridiculous fables, and grofs calumnies, which

G that

g^ The Truth of the

that writer had vented again ft the Jews ;
and, if we confult the traditions of thofe dif-
ferent nations, we Ihall find, in fpite of all
the fidlions which they have mixed with
them, the foundation of thofe great truths
contained in the writings of Mofes.

Indeed, all nations, who have left us any
records, have had an idea of the creation of
the world * : formlefs at firft, and after-
wards moulded into that ftate wherein we
behold it. They have all of them made
mention of a firft age, in which mankind,
as the reward of their innocence -f-, lived
in a profound peace, and enjoyed a perfedl
happinefs. They have alfo fpoken of ano-
ther age, wherein fin had precipitated man-
kind from the fummit of their felicity, into
an abyfs of mifery. The univerfal deluge,
and the ark, which faved a few men from
the waters, were not unknown among other
nations %, Their tradition informs us, that
the world was re-peopled by a fingle man,
preferved amidft the wreck of mankind,

* t \ See the colleftion of tefllmonies in Grot: us on the

truth cf the Chriftian Religion, and other authors For

the deluge fee the teftimonies from Catcot, in the C/jrr/Ii^
an'i Magaz^ine, Vol. V.

They

Chriftian Religion ^oiuuicated. oq

They knew his three Tons and the divifion
they made among them of the empire of
the univerfe. Nothing is more frequently
repeated in ancient records, than the au-
dacious attempt of thofe bold men, who
undertook to raife an edifice of a prodigious
height, thence forwards to il:recn themfelves
from the vengeance of heaven. They more-
over reprefent to us the pride of thofe mea
Confounded, and themfelves forced to aban-
don their concerted enterprize.

Thcfe feveral points have always been
univcrfally received amongft men, by means
of a conftant and uniform tradition: It is
true, men have, in a courfe of time, mixed
with tliofe truths many fables, which have
disfigured them : but through all thefe clouds
and veils, the truth fufficiently penetrates
itfelf to be perceived. Thus the univerfal
confent of all thofe nations, to whom, ne-
verthelcfs, the fcriptures were unknown,
clearly dcmonftrates the veracity of thofe
very fcriptures, in their moll ancient and
aflonifliing relations. For, is it not evident,
that the univerfal traditions fubfifting among
all nations, indcpcndant of the dtilance of

G 2 times

100 ^1^^ Truth of the

times and places, and the diverfity of lan-
guages and manners, could have had no
other foundation than that of faSs clearly
afcertained, and generallji received * ?

Difficul- R XIV. A multitude of other proofs of

ties in *^ *■

revelationevery kind might be here added, to demon-
dont'otheft^^^^ the truth and divinity of the facred
belief of volumes. But the fubjed propofed for im-
mediate confideration, will not admit of fo
long a digreffion : we will therefore confine
ourfelves fmgly to what Roufleau's objedlions
to thofe proofs, already offered, feem to re-
quire. In order to which, let us obferve
how he expreffes himfelf on the head of re-
velation.

* " What flrength of evidence, fays a judicious author,
** in favour of the truth of thefe books ! The condudl of
** the Hebrew people, the only nation exempt from ido-
" latry ; the unanimity of the Samaritans and Jews, who,
" notwithftanding their avowed antipathy, have both of
«« them preferved the pentateuch in the fame form. The
** ancient hiftories, which make mention of Mofes, or con-
** firm many of the fafts which he relates : the marks
** of fincerity, evident in the work ; the records, the
** fesfls, the ceremonies, which have confecrated to pof-
*' terity certain events which happened in the time of
*' Mofes : the no lefs true, than aftonifhing miracles of
** that legiflator ; — all this can leave no doubt with
** the lovers of truth."

" With

<(

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. lot

" With regard to revelation, could I reafon
better, or were I better informed, I mldit
be made lenfible perhaps of it's truth, and of
" it's utility to thofe who are fo happy as to
" believe it : but, if there are fome proofs
*' in it's favour, which I cannot invalidate ;
*' there appear alfo to me many objedions
" againll it, which I cannot refolve. —
** There are fo many reafons both for and
*' againft it's authority, that, not knowing
** what to conclude, I neither admit nor re-
** jedl it : I rejecft only the obligation of fuh-
'' mittlng to it ; becaufe this pretended ob-
** ligation is incompatible with thejuftice
'* of God : and that, fo far from it's re-
" moving the obftacles to falvation, it has
" multiplied them, and raifed thofe which
*' are infurmountable by the greatcft part of
*' mankind : Exxept in this article, there-
'' fore, / remain refpe&fully In doubt con^
*' cernlng revelation * ."

Here Roujfeaii owns, that he fees proofs
in favour of revelation, \w\\\c\\ he ci2?mot In-
validate. How mighty and decifive then
mud thofe proofs be, to defend themfclvcs

♦ Vol. III. p. 136.

G 3 agciinfl;

102 The Truth of the

againfl: the fhafts of an intidel, armed to
combat whatever is moil; certain amongft
mankind, and ever prepared to conteft even
fuch fad:s, as are confirmed by univerfal
approbation !

Bat what is it which prevents him from
confenting to, aftd admitting, revelation ?
Why, he fees maiiy objeBions againji ity he
tells, which he cannot refolve : we grant
it ; bat is this a fufficient reafon for his re-
fafing his fabmiffion ? What would be our
cafe, if we were to admit thofe points only,
v/hofe difficulties every one could refolve ?
Guided by fuch a principle, what would ap-
prcar certain in the world ? Thofe matters,
concerning which we are under the leafl: doubt,
are attended with infuperable difficulties. The
whole univerfe, whofe exiftence, none but
men abfolutely irrational could contradidl,
preftnts us in every different point of view,
wath a knot of indiffoluble difficulties : and
where is the man, whofe underflanding can
unravel them ? In the natural , as well as
in the moral oi'dcr of things, man finds him-
felf ata lofs, and is obliged to acknowledge
the narrow limits of his underflandinG:. We

fee

Chrijllan Religion vindicated. 103

fee too, that in every fcience, as foon as the
truths treated of are once demonflrated by
fufficient proofs, their feveral fludents no
longer perplex themfelves with obje(£lions to
them, how ftrong foever they may be j
nor are ever the lefs attached to the truth
demonftrated, though they cannot fatisfy
every cavil again it it. Indeed were it other-
wife, they would be able to retain nothing,
but would be dally obliged to renounce
truths the beft eflabli&ed.

In order to deftroy truths folldly demon-
ftrated, it is not enough to form againft them
objedions which cannot eafily be refolved •
but to combat diredly thofe proofs, which
warrant them ; without which, the force
and folidity of the proofs themfelves are fuf-
ficient to expofe the futility and weaknefs
of every objedion.

Will Rouffeau, when the Chriflian Reli-
gion is in qucflion, be always fo unjufl as to
abandon and controvert principles which him-
felf at firft adopted and followed ? Does he
not, /;/ bis ccnfcfjion of faith ^ admit feveral

♦ Vol. III. p. ICO, ^z,

G 4 points J

I®^ The Truth of the

points, liable to difficulties, which he could
not venture to boaft himfelf able to refolve?
To how many objections is thsitjpiritualify
of the f ml cxpofcd, which he maintains againft
the materialifts ? — And is the underftanding
of Roiijfeau alone capable of refolving them
alK? — But, in order to form a truer judg-
ment of his partiality, let us hear him ex-
plain himfelf; '' Revolving in my mind, fay 5
*' he '^ , the various opinions which had fuc-
*' ceffively prevailed with me from my in-
^' fancy ; — and proceeding to compare them
*' impartially, and without prejudice with
'' each other, I found that the firft and
" mod: common, was alfo the moft fimple,
'' and the moil rational ; and that it wanted
*' nothing more to fecure univerfal fuffrage,
*' than the circumftance of having been
*' the laft propofed. Let us fuppofe, that
*' all our philofophers, ancient and modern,
** had firft exhaufted all their whimfical
'' fydems of power, chance, fate, neceffity,
'^ atoms, an animated world, fenfitive
*' matter, and materialifm of every other
'^ kind ; and, after all them, let us imagine
" ^ho. \\\\jL\\nou^ Dc^hr Clarke enliglitening
^' the world, by difplaying the Being of

» Vol. III. p. 25.

'* Beings

Chrijlian Religion 'vindicated. 105

'^ Beings, the fupreme and fovereign Dif-
'* poferofall things. With what univerfal
'"■ admiration, with what unanimous ap-
•' plaufe, would not the world receive this
*« new fyflem, fo grand, fo confolatory, fo
** fublimc, fo proper to elevate the foul,
'* to lay the foundations of virtue s and, at
'' the fame time, fo ftriking, fo perfpicu-
'* ous, fo fimplc ; and, as it appears to me,
'' pregnant with lefs incomprehenfibilities
*' and abfurdity, than any other fyftera
'^ whatever! I reflected, that un-

'' ANSWERABLE OBJECTIONS MIGHT
'* BE MADE TO ALL, BECAUSE THE
^^ HUMAN UNDERSTANDING IS INCA-

((

<(

PABLE OF RESOLVING THEM; AND
THEREFORE NO PROOF COULD BE PRE-
*' FERABLY BROUGHT IN SUPPORT OF
*' any: but WHAT DIFFERENCE IS
^* THERE IN DIRECT PROOFS !"

Aftc;- having eftabliflied fo jufl: and evi-
dent a principle, how can he (lill have the
temerity to allcdge againft revelation the vain
pretence of objcdions which cannot be re-
folved ? — '* They are common to every
^* fyflem, fays he, very juAly, becaufe, the

** Inunan

;o6 The Truth of the

** human underllanding is too limited to re-
*' folve them, Sec." To be obliged to fub-
mit to revelation therefore, it is enough that
we fee in it's favour proofs which cannot be
invalidated ; and Rouffeau grants that his
own are of that nature.

The piclure which Rouffeau proceeds to
delineate, is exadlly that of the chriftian re-
ligion. Let any one imagine to himfelf all
thofe philofophers, ancient and modern,
with all their whimfical fyflems ; and,
after them, — not the celebrated Dodfor
Clarke j — but that chrijlian religion^ from
whence he drew his fine fentiments, and
whofe defence he hath undertaken in his
excellent writings. — Let any one contem-
plate this religion in the glorious ad of
enlightening the world, by difplaying the
Being of Beings, the fovereign difpofer
of all things ; Ihewing to mankind their
true condition \ the great and noble end to
which they are refer vcd, and the fure and
effedlual means for their attainment of that
end. — With what univerfal admiration,
with what unanimous applaufe mull: not fo
grand a fyftem be received, fo confolatory,

fo

Cbrijllan Religion vindicated, 107

fo fublimc, fo proper to elevate the foul, to
fix virtue o\\ a iblid bafis ; and at tlie fame
time fo flriking, fo perfpicuous, fo fimple,
and offering confiderations lefs incomprehen-
fible to the human mind, than are found in
any other fyftem v^hatever ! If ir were pof-
fible for any one ro form objedlions againfl
this fyftem, would that be matter of
aftoniftmient ? They are common to every
fyftem : but then what difference is there
between the proofs in favour of fome, and
thofe brought in fupport of others !

The proofs of the chriftian religion are
carried to the utmoft degree of evidence.
They confift of a variety of other fads, all
marked with a ftamp of an indifputable na-
ture. A long feries of years, and the per-
petual tradition of irreproachable witnefl'es;
witnefl'es, in every refped: worthy of an en-
tire credit, join to demon ftrate the truth
and authenticity of all thefe fads. Where
die iliall wc find an evidence fo incontefti-
ble as this ?

Let

c8 Ti)e T R V T u of the

Let thofe then, who pretend to cavil at
the chriftian religion appear. Let them
produce their feveral titles ; and we fliall fee
that, by the moft amazing contrail ever
beheld, they will only tend to burnifli the
luftre and glory of it's proofs. While other
fyftems have only to amufe us with and
inculcate principles which difhonour and
degrade hunianity ; the chrijlian religion pre-
fents us with the piireji doBrine^ and the
fublimejl morality, nnofl analogous to our
neceflities, mod confolatory to our fouls !

How can RoulTeau have the confidence to
tell us, that '' there are fo many folid rea-
'^ fons both for and againft the authority of
" revelation, that, not knowing what to
^' conclude, he can neither admit nor re-
*' jedl it ? " how ftrange is this kind of rea-
foning ! — Is there any thing foHd^ but what
is juji and true ? and can truth ever be op-
pofed to truth ? So that, to fiy " there are
folid vesihns for and agai?2/i revelation " is to
advance that truth is both for and again ft
herfelf, that ilie is divided againft herfelf,
and that (he fupplies her adverfaries with
weapons to fight againft her own caufe !

Since

Chrijlian Religion vindicated, j 09

Since then Rouffcau, is forced to grant,
that revelation is fupported by folid reafons,
and with liich proofs as cannot be invalidated;
let him candidly acknowledge, as the neccf-
fary confequence of his confeffions, that
he can Juggefi no reafons^ truly folid, ^g^i^lfl
revelation : He may have found out fome
which are fcemingly uich. But from the
moment we are allured that revelation hath
folid reafons in it's favour, we ought no lon-
ger to entertain a doubt ; but reft affured
that every reafon, which can be urged againft
it's authority, can have no other than a foli-
dity, fpecious, apparent, and relative to the
difpofitions which affect us.

§. XV. But let us not pafs by that diftinc-Rouf-
tion, which Rouffeau makes in the paffagCtinaionof
now under confideration. *' I rejedl, %s^t!yJ^to
** he * , only the obligation of fnhmitting /^rubmitto
'* revelation \ bccaufe this pretended obliga-^xatiuncd
*' tion is incompatible with the juftice of
'* Gor ; and becaufe, fo far from removing
*' the obftacles tofalvation, it has multiplied
'' them, and raifed thofc which are infur-
mountablc by tlie greatcll: part of man-
kind. " — What! ir revelation is confirmed

• Sec p. 101.

bv

<<

1 1 o The T ku T K of the

by proofs which cannot he invalidated^ if itV
divinity is clearly demonftrated, doth it not lay
an obligation upon mankind to acknowledge
and fubmit to it's authority? Was ever fo
ftrange a paradox advanced? — Shall the Deity
fpeak to mankind, and make known to them
his will : Shall he intimate his commands
to them , and employ the whole fplendor
of his majefty, to convince them that it is
he who fpeaks : and fhall not men be ob-
ligedx.0 acknowledge him, to obey him, and
fubmit themfelves to his voice ? How fliould
we, in fociety, treat a man who fhould
dare to affert that a fubjedl is not bound
to pay deference to the laws of the ftate,
and the orders of his fovere2gn> when
they are once well eftabliihed ? But what
a wide difference is there betweeri a man
thus fpeaking, and a God, whofe behefls
are always juft and holy ; and who cannot
admit of the lead delay in fubmiflion to
them !

Rouffeau does not inform us upon what
foundation he apprehends himfelf able to
convince us that " The obligation in quef-
** tion is incompatible with the juftice of

'^ God/^'

Cbri/lian Religion vindicated. 1 1 r

*' God." Does he think then, that he has
only to iudge, pronounce and conclude upon
ir, and then to be believed upon his bare
word He, who contefls even the Deity's
right, to be believed upon his own Word : —
But how can the obligation to acknowledge
revekuion be incompatible with the divine
jufticc ! It is that very juftice which impofes
this duty on man ; and becaufe God is juft,
and a lover of order, he cannot difpenfe with
this obligation upon his creature. If God
fpeaks to mankind, if he manifefts himfelf
to them by revelation, it is for their advan-
tage. This gift and benefit demand a tribute
of love and gratitude : how fliall that tribute
be offered to him, unlefs we are obliged to
receive what he condefcends to teach us ?
This fubmillion is the firft flep, and the
bed teftlmony of gratitude to a God who
fpeaks to us. We have fliewn RoufTeau
the neceiluy of revelation : there is there-
fore an obligation upon man to acknowledge
it ; fince, as we have proved, it is in this
way only he can learn the truths eflcntial to
]iis falvation.

Is

1 1 2 i:he Trv r K of the

Ts not RoufTeau to be pitied, when he
comes very ferioufly to aflureus, ^' That by
" revelation, and the obligation to fubmit
*^ to it's authority, the Deity, very far from
*^ removing the obftacles to falvation, hath
*' multiplied and rendered them infur-
*^ mountable to the greateft part of man-
" kind?'' What extravagance 5 v/hat a
reverie is this ? Doth revelation multiply
the obftacles to falvation ! So far from it,
that it is revelation, as we have before fliewn,
which is come to make plain the paths which
lead mankind to it. While wandering here
and there, unable to difcover any iffue of
their travel, revelation, as it were, took
mankind by the hand to extricate them from
thofe labyrinths of error in which they had
been loft, and introduced them to thofe
pleafant paths of truth and righteoufnefe,
from which they had fo widely deviated.
Nor doth it ceafe to enlighten and dired:
them, till it hath brought them fafely into
port. Before it beamed forth, obftacles arofe,
multiplied, and truly infurmountable even
by the nobleft minds. What then muft they
be for the reft of mankind ? But fince it

Chrljlian Religion vi?idlcated, n^

hath been manlfelled amongft men, the
moft fimple and ignorant are become verfed
in the fublimeft truths, without difficulty or
labour, or the exercife of deep ftudy. Every
man has only to follow the road pointed out
for him, in order to the fure attainment of
llilvation.

It is certain, that if it were neceflary to
ufe every method which Rouffeau requires
and prefcribes *, to be affured of the truth
of revelation ; the obligation to reCv^ve it
would then, far from removing the obfla-
cles, multiply them on the contrary, and
render them infurmountable to the greatefl
part of mankind. But we will foon prove
to Rouffeau, that he aims merely to frighten
his readers, by heaping up difficulties, which,
however invincible they may appear, vanifh
without hefitation, fo foon as they are ex-
amined by the ray of right and found
rcafon.

We will make it evidently appear, that
the proofs in favour of revelation arc fo Am-
ple, clear and obvious, as to be within the

• See Vol. III. p. lo, ic.

II reach

J 1^ The Truth of the

reach of the meaneft capacities : we v/iU
make him fenfible, that it rather requires
candor and fincerity than labour and appli-
cation, to difcover the truth of them.

Rou/reau's §, XVI. But in the mean time let us
tradkTbntake notice of the declaration which Roufleau
^^- makes in the paflage j lift quoted. He pro-
tefts to remain, as to the matter of revela-
tion, in a refpeftful doubt : Now we {hall
foon fee how he has verified the principle
which he had juft before advanced.

" I cannot comprehend, fays he, how
** any man can fincerely be a sceptic
*^ on principle. Such philofophers, either
*' do not exift, or furely they are the
'^ moft miferable of men. To be in doubt
*^ about things which it is important for us
*' to know, is a fituation too perplexing for
" the human mind, it cannot long fupport
'^ fuch incertitude ; but will, in fpite of
*^ itfelf, determine one way or other, and
'' rather deceive itfelf than believe nothing."

So then tills pretended refpe5lfiil doubt of
Rouffeau^s is but a meer veil, which he

fpreads

CbrtJIian Rc'//^icn vhiJlcafeJ, 1 1 r

fpreads the better to conceal the impieties he
is plciifcd to vent againll revelation ! He
would not feeni to doubt -, but, in order to
be more fure in his attack, he feigns a ref-
pc(5t, only the better to difguife his lacrile-
gious attempts. That this is really the cafe,
our readers will prefcntly be convinced.

Rouficau very honcftly acknowledges,
that *' he fees proofs in favour of revela-
*' tion, which he is wiable to invalldatcl'
And yet there is no means, no attempt,
which he does not make ufe of to deitroy
them fundamentally. As he is not ignorant
thit miracles dndpropbedes arc the principal
vouchers in fupport of revelation, he there-
fore employs every artitice in his power to
weaken their authority j he fets at work all his
accuftomed fophiilry to enervate their force^
and diminifh their impreffion. He was fen-
fible it was a dltficult talk to deny the ex-^
iftcnce of all thefc fandions : but that he
may not however fiil of luccefs, he refolvcs
to eftecm nothing facred ; he overleaps every
barrier of moral juflice, and even pays not
the lead regard to the principles gf moral
certainty.

II z HioulJ

ii6 Ti)e T RV r n of the

Should any one attempt to demonftrate
to him the truth of revelation, by the Mi-
racles wrought to confirm it ? He would
flop them ftiort, with *' Miracles! Prodi-
" gies ! I have never feen any thing of the
** kind ! Who were the witnefles of thefe
*' miracles ? " — If it be anfwered, *^ Men,
'' who atteft them." His reply is ready.
*' What ! always human teftimony ! It is
" always men who are to tell me, what
*' other men have told them !''

Rouffeau fays, *^ Truly, he never faw
** miracles!" Why! does he not every day
fee them in the effects they have produced ?
How would the world have believed things
fo apparently incredible, had it not feen mi-
racles ? What is it which could have worked
fo great a change in the world ; — aboliflied
idols, deftroyed idolatry — led fo many na-
tions, and great men, to embrace the Chrif-
tian religion, and engaged fo many martyrs
* to give up their lives in it's caufe ? What,
but the power and luftre of it's miracles ?
Whole nations would never have believed,
in fo fhort a time, what a fmall handful of

men.

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. 1 1 7

men, without art, without fcience, and of
no reputation, came to propolc to them,
and that amidft io many contradidions^ if
the invincible authority of figns and won-
ders had not, as it were, wrellcd their af-
fent, by overcoming all objedtions. Every
thing proclaims the whole Chriftian religion
to be a miracle (as we have before flievvn)
and yet the infidel ftill comes to tell us, '' I
*' have izzv). no miracles." Let him then
takeoff the bandage, which his paffions, his
prejudices, and his felf- conceit have tied
over his eyes ; and he will be amazed at
not having fooner perceived the luftre which
every where furrounded him.

§. XVII. But as it is in fome degreeOfhu.
neceflary to follow the infidel into all hisfaUh.
entrenchments, let us grant him never to
have feen any of thofe miracles, thofe prodi-
gies, thofe fupernatural events, which give
fandionto the Chriftian religion. Is it ne-
ccffary therefore to believe only what wc
have fccn with our own eyes? and muft:
they, according to this extravagant fyftem,
whom nature hath deprived of fight, believe
nothing of what paffes about them ? Our
H 3 mind,

1 1 8 The Tkv Til of the

mind, in it's very nature, is invifible ; it*s
fentiments and difpofitions do not come un-
der the cognizance of our fenfes ; and yet
how firmly does every rational man believje
the reahty and exiftence of all thefe things ?
How can we believe nothing but what
our own eyes inform us, v/hen we never
doubt whether we believe or not thofe things
which our eyes are unable to perceive ?

If Rouffeau's principles are true, there
mufl no longer be any fuch thing 2,^$, friend-
Jhip in the world. For who hath ocularly
feen the afied:ion and benevolence of his
friend ? — How fliall a man apply himfeif
to make a fincere return to that benevolence,
when, his eyes not perceiving it, he never
can be perfuaded of it's exiftence. Will any
one ftart up and tell us, that the affedion
of a friend is feen and known by the adlions
it produceth ? True, but th.efe figns of
friendship are often very equivocal, and are
not friendfliip itfelf. In fhort, take away
this faith from human affairs, and who dif-
cerns not what trouble and terrible confu-
iion muft neceifarily refult from fo doing ?
What will remain unihaken and facred in

civil

Chnjlian Religion vindicated. 119

civil fociety, if we arc to believe nothing,
of which we have not had ocular dcnion-
ftration ? Who would pay any regard to
mutual charity, fince no one can love any
object, but fo flir as he believes that o^jcdl
aniiable ? Thus will divine fricnd(l:ilp be
loft amongft mankind ; and, from that fa-
tal period, all the fweet and facred ties of
marriage and confanguinity, become utterly
difunitedand deflroyed ! The bridegroom, or
his bride, can no longer mutually love each
other ; nor entertain the dcfire to have chil-
dren, becaufe they can never believe that
they w^illone day render them thofe juft re-
turns of filial endearment which will be-
come their due ; and how fliall thofe chil-
dren ( fliould they have any) when arrived
at the age of difcretion, — how iLall they
poffcfs any love for parents, whofe tender
affecftion for them they will never be able
lo difcern ? IIow, indeed, fliould they
poiTibly perfuadc themfelves, that thcfc
are their parents, — thofc to whom they
owe their being. They were not eyc-wij:-
nelTes of their own birth; nor were they
able, by any exertion of their fenfes, to
know the moment they began to be. They
II 4 can

120 The Truth of the

can know it only on the report of others.
And yet, on the bare authority of thofe who
afliiied at their nativity, men do, rationally,
and without hefitation, beheve thofe to be
their fathers and mothers, who are pointed
out to them as fuch. Were we to ad: other-
wife, into what a fearful confufion would it
plunge the world ! Piety, that precious tie
of the human race, would be openly vio-
lated, would degenerate into an avowed con-
tempt, and a facrilegious impiety.

Behold ! whither the falfe fyflem of in-
fidelity would conduit mankind !

Guided by principles like thefe, what Juf-
ticc could be diftributed amongft men ?
How could crimes and diforders be checked ?
To what a confufion of incertainty would
judges, and magiftratcs beexpofed ? In or-
der to form a judgment, it is neceffary to
believe ; and to believe, according to Rouf-
feau, it is neceffary to have feen the fubjeft
of belief; and yet judges have hardly ever
been witneffes of the matters upon which
they pronounce their determinations.

From

Chnjlian Religion vindicated. 121

From whence arife the diftiiKfllons of fa-
milies ? and on what foundation are their
names, their antiquity, and their nobility
eflabhflied ? Is it not upon aferies of fadls,
which none of us, at this period, ever faw
with his own eyes, but which were entrufted
to authentic records, which have been tranf-
mitted down to us from hand to hand ?
Now, ihould any one venture to cavil at
all thofe fadts, and records, becaufe he was
not an eye witnefs of their authenticity,
how would he be treated, — and what regard
would be paid to his frivolous objedlions ?
Would he not juftly be deemed a ftupid per-
fon, defirous of throwing every thing into
trouble and confufion ?

The cafe is the fame with refpeft to the
poffeflion of lands, riches and revenues :
this is founded upon titles, perhaps, whereof
no body exifting has it^vi the beginning and
eftablifliment. Upon thefe titles, however,
men judge and determine the rights of in-
dividuals. Now, would it not be an excel-
lent reafon, and tend greatly to clear them
up, or to defeat them, to pretend only,

that

122 "The Truth of the

that no body had feen the deeds and ere*
dentials of thofe titles pafs ? We muft con-
fefs this would be a very notable method of
liquidating the obligations which our an-
ceftors might have contraded.

Should this fyflem be adopted, will kings
themfelves be fafe upon their thrones ?
Their reign is eflabliflied and confirmed by
an uninterrupted feries of human evidence ;
we know nothing of the eredion of monar-
chy in a kingdom, but by fad:s of which
hiflory informs us. Now all thofe perfons
who lived but a century after it's eredtion,
£xw nothing of what palTed at that period ;
and we who are living at this day know no-
thing of the form of government, but by the
ancient records, and the tradition of our fore-
fathers, from age to age brought down to us.
If then, confiftently with Rouffeau's prin-
ciples, we cannot rationally believe any thing
but what we have previoufly feen, we are
wrong to acknowledge thofe as fovereigns,
v/hofe original is too ancient for us to have
been eye-witneffes of it : and therefore from
henceforth men ought not to regard as their
kings, their mafters and leaders, any other than

fuch

Chrlfiian Religion vmdicatcd. "j2t

fuch peribns on whom they have feen thofe
qualities, rights and prerogatives dcfccnd.

All thofe men, who undertake long and
toillbmc voyage?, to places which they
never faw, are in Rouffeau's judgment
fools, and rafli, becaufe they believe, with-
out hefitation, upon the teftimony of others,
the exiftence of that which they have never
beheld.

In fliort, and to fum up all, let Roufleau
inform us on what grounds it is believed in
the world, that there has ever been a Ro-
man republic, a city of Carthage, a Scipio,
a Hannibal, a Ccefar, a Pompey, and. a va-
riety of other fadls, which no one of our
time could have feen ? What is it which
could perfuade mankind, for fo many cen-
turies, that there was formerly an Hippo-
crates, a Plato, an Ariftotle, a Cicero ; and
that thcfe celebrated men are authors of the
books which bear their nam^s ? Is it not
becaufe the hiftorians of thofe times have
fpoken of thefe great perfonages, have men-
tioned their writings -, and that this opinion,
which hath been uniform from their time

to

1 24 ^he T K V r n cf the

to the prefent, is more and more confirmed
by the common opinion of all men who
have fucceeded them, and the confent of all
ages ? All mankind unanimoufly agree in
thefe principles : a doubt upon thefe points
would pafs for a certain proof of folly. —
The man who fhould conteft fuch indiipu-
table fadls, would be univerfally laughed at ;
and, as the fole reply to his impertinence,
people would teftify the moft fovereign con-
tempt of his underftanding *.

All the arguments we have been hitherto
offering, invincibly demonftrate that no
abfurdity can be greater than to affert with
Rouffeau, that it is neceffary to believe
nothing but what we have feen. If faith
be neceffary in tlie tranfadlion of human
affairs, how much more fo muft it be in
matters of a religious concern ? If we are
obliged to admit human teftimony in what-
ever belongs to civil life ; what right have
we to reject the many multiplied and well-
confirmed evidences which depofe in favour
the Chriftian religion?

* Unde, fi quis hoc neget, nee faltem refellitur, fed
iidetur. AuGusTiN.

§. XVIII.

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. 12^

§. XVIII. It is the fame focicty, onthefiilthof the
of which we continually ad: with the fumeft^^^^Jj^fl,
confidence, that depofes in it's favour. It of the
is that which attefts and warrants to us the ^
truth of thofe fads upon which our religion
is founded, and the authenticity of the re-
cords which contain them. But what gives
thefe fads the higheft degree of evidence
imaginable, and fkreens them from the blafts
even of the mod malio-nant cenfure, is, that
they have never been controverted ; that
tliey have always been acknowledged, even
by thofe who were mofl interefted to difputc
their veracity.

Celfus, Porphyry, Julian, all who have
attacked the Chriftian religion, all who have
fcparated from it, or formed feds by them-
felves, have never, any of them, dared to
entertain a doubt of the exiftence of all thefe
fads.

Thus, fo far from the remotenefs of thefe
fads diminifhing their notoriety in any
refped whatever ; on the contrary, it
gives them greater weight. The general

and

126 'J^he Truth of t^e

and unanimous confent of fo many fuccef-
five generations, who were unable to with-
ftand their force, forms the completeft de^
monftration in their favour*

When I behold all thefe fads, fllll recent,
and publiflied every where from the eaft to
the weft by a number of eye witnefles^
who carry with them every character
of truth and fincenty : when I fee them
maintain thefe fads, in the very face of the
JewiJJj fynagogue, aconfiftory of men, fo per-
fedly inftruded in every refped, and fo in-
terefted to deted the impofture, if there
had been any fuch : — when I behold the
fame men atteft thefe fads before all the tri-
bunals of the Pagan world, with a courage
and fortitude which nothing can difconcert.
Fads, whofe certainty neither Jew nor Gen-
tile can undertake to difcredit ; but which,
all of them, on the contrary, confirm and
render indubitable, by attributing them to
magic. — What light fliines forth ! what a
degree of evidence and convidion ! But, on
urging my examination ftill further, what
fubjed for my admiration ! what a fuper-
abundance of proofs ! All thefe fads were

received

Chrtjlian Religwi vindicated. 127,

received and revered in every part of die
then known world, even before the end of
that century which fliw them make their
appearance. By force of their evidence, they
obliged even thofe who were the mort:
ftrenuous oppofers to admit them, and be-
came vidlorious over every paffion, pre-
judice and oppofition. It is the faith of all
thefe facl?, which unites in one and the
fame religion, an immenfe people, every
where difperfed, and daily increafmg. For
the fpace of three hundred years, pafled un- -
der the cruelleft perfecutions, this people,
uninfluenced by any other interefts than thofe
of truth, bore conflant and innumerable
tcftimonies to all thefe fadls, in the midfl
of the moft horrible torments, and the
moft frightful deaths. At length, they be-
came vidlorious over all their enemies, and
their religion every where raifed itfelf oa
the ruins of Paganifm. This people always,
and without interruption fubfifting from
tlic inftant of their firft eftablifliment, gave
the mofi: conftant and univerfal teflimony to
the truth of all thefe fads : and now, can
there be any thing in nature more authentic,
certain and irrefragable ? — Is not a tefli-
mony •

■j2S 7he Truth of the

mony like this, fo continued and perpetually
fupported from the time of Jefus Chrift
down to the prefent age ; is it not, I fay,
brought down to us by it*s continuity, from '
the moment in which thefe extraordinary
events happened ? And does it not place
them in fome degree before our eyes, as
though they had actually occurred amongft
us*?

* Had notRoufleau good reafon to tell us, that nothing
comes better attefted than all the abovementioned fadls ?
** Shall we fuppofe the evangelic hiftory, fays he to Emi-
** lius, to be a mere fidlion ? Indeed, my friend, it bears
** not the marks of fidlion : on the contrary, the hiftory
«* of Socrates, which nobody prefumes to doubt, is not
<« fo well attefted, as that of Jesus Christ.'* But fince
the hiftory of Jefus Chrift is ftill better attefted, than that
of Socrates ; andfmce nobody prefumes to doubt the latter,
does not the fulleft evidence conclude, that nobody fhould
doubt that of Jefus Chrift too ? RoulTeau can offer no
other reply to this reafoning, than by faying, that though
nobody doubts the hiftory of Socrates, and that of other
men like him : yet this is no proof of the truth of their
exiftence, and can hinder no one from looking upon them
as fo many fables. But we have already obferved upon
the extravagance of fuch a reply ; and, furely, he who
can deny fads thus certain, is only worthy the derifion of
every perfon of the leaft underftanding.

Let RoufTeau then, at laft, check his inflexible obftl-
nacy, his ftrange infatiablc luft of extending his name, by
multiplying his errors. Let him leave us peaceably to
follow the dccifive authority of that cloud of evidence,

which

Chrijlian Religiofi vifidlcdted. Jig

tvhich he himfclf is forced to acknowledge : and as for
himfelf, let him flirink b.-ck to the gloomy darknefs,
wherein he feems to delight himfclf; and from hence-
forward ccafc to fpread out fnares, in order to deprive us
of a truth, whofc name ferves him as a veil to cover his
pernicious defigns.

But let us hear him again, as he delivers himfclf in his
dialogue between a perfon pretendedly infpircd, and a
pretended rationalift. The dogmatift objecting, in favour
of his perfuafion, the changes wrought in the order of na-
ture, by miracles and prodigies of every kind ; RoufTeau,
who poorly counterfeits the chara£ler of a rationalill, an-
fwers him, as we before obferved, *' with prodigies and
** miracles ! I have never feen any of thefe things." " No
** matter, anfwers the dogmatiil, others have feen them
** for you ; we can bring clouds of witneiTes j the tefti-
** mony of whole nations." *' The teftimony of whole
" nations ! replies the rationalill gravely, is that a proof
«« of the fupernatural kind ?"— Who cannot difcern the
whole artiticc of oar fophiil ? — Who ever faid tliat the tef-
timony of nations was a proof of a fupernatural kind ?
Miracles and prodigies are indeed proofs of a fupernatural
kind ; but the teftimony of nations is no more than a fur-
ther warrant of the exiftence of thofe proofs ; and, though
6f an order very natural, does not permit a doubt of the
fadl? which itattefts, as we have fhewn before in the body
of our work. Thus, in civil government, the laws of the
prince arc not of the fame kind, with the teftimony of thofe
who pronounce them to be the will of the fovereign: But ihi*
teftimony, and the confent of the people in confequence
of it, arc a certain proof of the exiftcnce of the laws. It
is not to this lellimony, properly fpeaking, that men pay
their fubmiflion ; but it is in confequence of this teftimony
that they acquiefcc in, and obey the laws.

But

130 The Truth of the

But Roufleau (our pretended rationalijl) next proceeds
to tell us of the abfurdity of crediting human terdmony.
He exprefles himfelf to that purpofe, as foUov/s : " You
** fee, therefore, to what your pretended fupernatural
«* proofs, your miracles, reduce us : — to the folly of be-
** lieving them all on the credit of others, and of fub-
" mitting the authority of God, fpeaking lo our reafon,
«' to that of man.*' — What! — is theauthority of God fub-
jnitted to that of men, becaufe miracles are believed on
•the report of men ? Reafon ever fubmits herfelf to the
authority of God ; human teflimony is only, as it
were, the medium of her fubmiffion ; and, if reafon yields
her afTent to this tellimony, it is becaufe the authority of
God, fpeaking to reafon, informs her that fhe cannot re-
jedl the former, without invalidating the latter. To
make this matter ftill more intelligible, I afk RoufTeau,
whether he would fay that the man, who, with his own
eyes fees miracles performed, and yields to their proof on
this evidence, fubmits the authority of the Deity, fpeak-
ing to his reafon, to the authority of his own t'jt^ ? It
is the fame with whatever we believe on the faith of
others. The examination of others puts us in the fame
condition as that obfervation which our own eyes would
have made ; and we only grant that to their authority,
which we could not have refufed to our own.

RoufTeau, always intent to deceive, pretends that no re-
gard ought to be had to the authority of human tellimony
in favour of Revelation ; becaufe it attempts to eflabliih
abfurdities.

** We have fet afide all human authority, fays he to his
** pupil, — and without it 1 cannot fee how one man can
** convince another, by preaching to him an unreafonable
** do6liine. Let us, for a moment, fuppofe two men cn-
** gaged in a difpute on fuch an occafion ;"

'ihe

Cbrijhan Religion ^vindicated. 131

The maimer in which he makes his dogmatiil fpeaJi, is
as follows :

" Your reafon tells you that the whole is greater than
«* a part ; but I tell you, from God, that a part is greater
<* than the whole." Can one £gure to one*s felf a ftronger
indication of malevolence, and a defirc to deceive : — And
could RouiTeau have taken a furer method to perfuade his
impartial reader, that his attack is merely fupported by
calumny, falihood, and injurious imputations: Whom will
lie induce to believe that Revelation propofes to us abfur-
dities, fo puerile and grofs, as that he inllances ? Surely
our infidels muft be wretchedly deftitute of folid argu-
ment, to be obliged to fly for afiiiiance to fuch iniidiocs
flander ! one may eaiily perceive this writer's aim is only
to catch thofe faperficiai minds, who, being previouily
feduced by their natural corruption, feek only for vain
pretences to ftiile the feeble flaihings of a confcience jufl
expiring.

We defy RoulTeaa to point out the leaft abfordity in our
facred books ; and on our part we engage to prove that
what he urges as fuch, ftrikes at no eternal truths, which,
©ur minds cannot apprehend : on the contrary it tends
only to explain, to elucidate, and to vindicate them from
thofe outrages, which the fpiri:. of infidelity inceflantly
offers againft them.

I 2 DISSERTATION

132 The T KV r n of the

DISSERTATION IIL
On miracles.

d"ai" S'-^'AXJ^ "^^ proceed to defeat all
V V thofe falfe pHnciples, advanced
by Roufleau againft the authority of miracles.
This writer would, as it were, annihilate,
if poffible, the Chriftian Religion : and the
more effeftually to fucceedin the defign, he
affaults it in it's very foundations. But we
perfuade ourfelves, every effort of this cham-
pion of infidelity, againft that immovable
rock, will be defeated, like thofe of the
many others who have attacked it»

Obferve how he expreffes himfelf in^
a difcourfe at the beginning of his third vo*-
lume, which he has the confidence to put
into the mouth of a minifter of J e s u a
Christ,

After many arguments, as impious as ab-
furd, concerning the evidences in favour of
Revelation, he goes on, " fuppofing all thefc
*' monuments acknowledged to be incon-
^* teftible, we muft then proceed to examine

*« the

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. 133

" the proofs of the miflion of their au-
" thors : it would be neceffary for us to
*' find out of what kind a miracle fliould
•^ be, and the authenticity it ought to bear,
*' not only to claim our belief, but alfo to
'^ render it criminal to doubt it : to com-
*' pare the proofs of true and falfe miracles,
** and difcover the certain means of diftin-
** guilhing them : and, after all, to tell why
*' the Deity fliould chufe, in order to con-
*' firm the truth of his word, to make
** ufe of means, which, themfelves, re-
'^ quire fo much confirmation ; as if he
*' took delight in playing upon the cre-
" culity of mankind, and had purpofely
*' avoided the direct means to perfuade their
*' belief ^^"

Mufi: not he have arrived at the highcfl
degree of infidelity and impiety, who can vent
fuch blafphemies ? who can accufe the Deity
himfclf of having chofen out improper
means for perfuading mankind : of having
adcd in fuch a manner, as if he wantonly
Iported with their credulity, and had pur-
pofely fliunned the mod obvious means for
their convidtlon ? Who can enough admire
• Vol. 3. p. 1 10.

I 3 the

J 24 ^^^ Truth of the

the temerity of this writer, who can fancy
himfelf to be a better judge of thefe mat-
ters than all mankind in all preceding ages f

The §. If. What were thofe means which ac-

fedtopro-tually have perfuaded people of all nations,
Pfg^^^. and of every languag-e and tribe, of ihe
nitypro- truth of our religion ? — Were not they thQ
^°^' direct means of perfualion ? Thofe means,
which, by detaching men fo fuddenly from
that falfe worfhip, which a pretended natu-
ral religion fuggefted, made the dominion
of fatan vanilli like a flaih of lightning ;
were not they the proper means of perfua-
fion ? Thofe means, which convinced of
folly the philofophers, who, like RouiTeau,
were bewildered in the vanity of their ima-
ginations. Thofe means, which broke the
chains of every paffion, which induced men
to renounce all things, and even themfelves,
in order to pay fubmiflion to the gofpel,
with the brighteft examples of virtue : —
were not fuch the dired means to per-
fuade ? — What were thofe means, which fub-
jugated reafon and will, the moft obflinate
and perverfe, to the obedience of faith ?
which fo forcibly influenced and fo clofely

convinced

ChrijVian Religion vindicated. 13^

convinced men of every ftate and condition,
great and fmall, learned and ignorant, that
they all rather chofe to facrifice their fortunes,
their repofe, their hberty; to expofe them-
felvcs to every difgrace, and fuffer the mod
cruel and ignominious inflictions, nay, even
death itfelf, — than to renounce the Chriilian
Religion — ? were not means thus vid:oriouc,
powerful, and efficacious, the true and only
means of pei-fuafion ? But RoufTeau, a
more competent judge than the Deity him-
felf, of the proper means for this purpofe,
feems to be of a different opinion ; and
therefore, doubtlefs, can be kind enough to
inform us, what means he ou2:ht to have
employed. What pity is it, fo capable a
counfellor was not called in to the counfels of
the Almighty, in order to chalk out to him
the plan of his condudl !

§. III. But to proceed; let us again at- The pro-

'1 1 . . • 1 -1 paeation

tend to this irreverent writer, while we of chrU
fliuddcr with deteftation at his impiety. ^^^^'^^^Y*
*' Suppofe, fays he, that the divine ma- greateft
'' jefty, had really condcfcended to make ^^''■^'^^•
** man the organ for promulgating Iiis fi-
''* cred will ; is it reafonable, is it juft to
I 4 *' require

X36 The Truth of the

require all mankind to obey the voice
of this minifier, without his making
himfelf known to be fuch ? where is
the equity or propriety of furniihing
him, for univerfal credentials, with
only a few particular tokens, difplayed
before a handful of obfcure perfons, and
of which all the reft of mankind can
never know any thing but by hearfay * V*
If it was neither juft nor reafonable for Goi)
to require all mankind to obey the voice of
thofe whom he had elcc^led to be the pro-
mulgators of his facred will, is there any
fincerity in our author's pretence, that God,
Jiath furnifhed them for univerfal creden-
tials, with only a few private tokens, dif-
played before a few obfcure perfons, and
of which all the refl of the world can ne-
ver know any thing but by hearfay ?• — Hath
not the Deity, then, manifefted and declared
the miffion of thofe he hath chofen by in-
conteftable records ? And why did the whole
univerfe believe the word of his minifters,
if they were not lawfully authorized ? —
Was it not a thing ftill more wonderful
than all the miracles put together, that fo
great a number of men, of tempers fo dif-

* Vol. 3. p. 1 10.

ferent.

Chrijlian Rcllgkn vindicated, i 37

fcrcnt, of charaders fo oppofuc, and lb re-
nioic frcm each other, (houla have given
credit to our rehgion, without it was cor-
roborated by inconteflable miracles ? Muft it
not have been very probable and credible of
itfelf, when men fo readily yielded their
faitli to it ? How could faith in the name
and doftrine of Jesus Christ, have diffufed
itfelf in fo amazing a manner, if the fanc-
tion of miracles had not prepared the way for
it's reception P^How, efpecially, in thofe times
when reafon exerted all her higheft powers,
and when men were ufed to defpife and
rejeft whatever furpaffed the extent of their
underftanding ? Guided by fuch dlfpofi-
tlons, what could have determined the
whole world to believe things fo extraor-
dinary, fo incredible in appearance, fo ele-
vated beyond human idea, if the power of
miracles had not inclined the underflanding
to the yoke of faith, and filcnced every
liuman argument ? We need only urge
tliis finglc confideration to confound the
obftlnacy and blindnefs of our infidel.
Either thofe aftonifliing and incredible works
to which the univcrfe hath borne tellimony,
impelled them to give credit to a religion,

which,

13S The T ^ V T n of the

which, otherwife, would have appeared in-
credible y Or, that religion was fo credible
in itfelf, and lb reafonable, that it needed
no affiflance from miracles to convince man-
kind of it's veracity.

The infidel will never be able to reply
fubftantially, to a conclufion thus decifivc.
It will ever be fufficient to filence thofe
vain and arrogant men, who ftill demand
prodigies from us, to induce their be-
lief. He who can rcfufe his fubmiffion, af-
ter a whole univerfe hath embraced the
faith propofed, is himfelf a greater prodigy^
than All the miracles put together.

The firft ^. iv^ That we may leave the unbe=.
of chrifti- liever no room for cavil, and force hin>
^^oo'f of ^^'•^ ^^^ ^^^ entrenchment ; we will proceed
it's divi- to grant him that the Chriftian Religion
bears fome charadters, which require very
convincing miracles to perfuade men to be-
lieve it. But, at the fime time, we will main-
tain and prove to him, that this religion,
hath every thing of the kind, which can
reafonably be expe6ted.

How,

Chnjiian Religion '^oindicated. I'jo

How, indeed, could men, rude and un-
polilhed ; without learning, without talents,
without fame, without eloquence \ — fimplc
fifliermen, and perfecuted by every ruling
power, and flate :— How could fuch as
thefe have perfuaded the wife men of their
time, and even philofophers, of the divinity
of their miffion, and of a religion, in
which there was every thing to lofe for a
while, and nothing to gain 3 and which fo
narrowly circumfcribed the paflions and ap-
petites 3 — without they had adminiftered clear
and palpable proofs ; and without they had
been fupported by the authority of certain
and deciiive miracles ? —

That men. In high power and reputation,
whofe dodlrinc flattered and foothed every
pafTion and luflful propenfity, fliould have
gained credit j would have been no matter
of aftoniOiment, nor could we have been
much furprizcd at it : but that fo fmall a
number of poor, fimple, ignorant men,
Ihould have fubjcdlcd the whole univerfe to
a religion like ours, — can we comprehend
or explain fuch an unheard-of phoenomenon,

without

I40 Tlje T R V T VI of the

without admitting the interpofition of a di^
vine aid! without granting that God him-
felf, by means of thefe feeble witnefles,
whom he had chofen, wrought this con-
viiflion in the hearts of mankind ? a con-
vidiion fo much the more admirable, by
how much the more defpicable and inade-
quate appeared the means by which it was
effected.

It was not their difcourfes, properly
fpeaking, which determined their auditors ;
the innumerable wonders, which God
wrought by their hands, were an eloquence
far more effedlual to perfuade m.en to be-
lieve what they declared, than the moft ele-
gant and beft contrived fpeeches. Behold !
all of a fudden thefe men, well known be-
fore to under flan d but one or two languages
only, are heard to fpeak in every kind of
tongue : in the name of Jesus Christ they
command the lame to walk, and the dead
to arife. Their very fliadow alone is found
to cure all kinds of difeafes upon the fpot, in
the feveral places through which they pafs.
From the linen cloaths, which have only
touched their bodies, proceeds a virtue, which

diflipates

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. 141

difll pates the maladies of thofc to whom they
are applied : at their Voice devils arc expel-
led from thofe whom they pofleffed 5 and—
what is flill more ftriking than all, — thofe
perfons, who embrace their dodlrine, and
on whom their hands are laid, receive a
communication of the like gifts, with the
power of performing fimilar miracles, la
fhort, how many other prodigies did they
not perform, in the face of the w^hole
world ', that world, which hath incefllintly
borne, and ftill, by means of a conftant and
perpetual tradition, continues to bear a pub-
lic and authentic teftimony to their truth
and reality.

And now we muft here beg leave to
afk, whether this wonderful invefliture and
exertion of gifts, and powers ^ is a giving
for univeffal credentials (to thofc whom
God hath chofen to be the organs for pro^
mitigating his Jacred imll) only fome fe^io pri-^
vate tokens y difplayed before a handful of ob-
[cure peffons^ and of which all the rrjl of
mankind can never knoiu any thing but by
bearfay ? —

Does

142 ^he Truth of the

t)oes Rouffeau, then, like that Julian^
whofe fentitnents and language he fo per-
feftly imitates — reckoii the whole world as
an handful of obfcure people ? The univerfe
feems little in his eyes ; and he fancies him-
felf eafily able to compute thofe who occu-
py the whole earth. — Where Ihali wc
find that great number of witneffes he re-
quires, if all are but a few * ? —

Miracles, §. V. Was there ever, in the nature of
well^at- fafts, any thing fo certain, fo known, and
tefted as fy ^q\] verified, as the miracles which con-

we could

(defire. cur to cftablifh the truth of our religion ? —
Roufl^eau would needs have been an eye
witnefs of all thefe prodigies and miracles,
in order to believe them. He would rather
have heard the Deity himfelf ; becaufe he
fancies he fhould by that means have
been fecure from being deceived. If we tell
him in anfwer to this, that God enfures him
againft fedudtion, by manifefting the miflion

* Cceterum quod dicit paucos fuijje '— pawum facii orhetf^
et facile numerabiles ejfe puta<vit eos qui univerfum orbem,
Et uhirtam multos itfveniemuSf Ji omnes funf pauci P-^ Cyril,
adv. Julian. Lib. vi»

©f

Chrijlian Religion vmdicated. 143

of his envoys by miracles -, ** And where,
** eries he, are thefe miracles to be feen ? '*
In books. — " Are they related only in
" books ? pray, who wrote thefe books ?'*
■ — Men — '' Who were witnefles to thefe
" miracles?" — Men — who atteft them. —
" What ! always human teftimonles ! — Is it
*^ always men, who tell me what other
*' men have told them ? — What a number
" of thefe are conflantly between me and
:* the Deity * ! "

And yet Roufleau, fo haughty as he i5
with his reafon, gives us a ftrong proof of
his inconftancy and levity ! This man^ who
would feem fo fleady in his principles, be-
ing made the fport of that reafon, knows
not what he would have. He demands mi-
racles, in order to ground his faith ; and
yet, if the Deity, for the more glorious
difplayof his omnipotence, communicates to
men the power of working thefe miracles, —
He defpifes, and rcjecfls this kind of tefli-
mony, merely becaafe Men are made the
inflruments of conveying it : O human rea-
fon, how blind and unreafonable art thou,
when left to thyfelf ! — Roufleau is afraid of

* Vol 3. p io8.

being

144 7heTtLUTn of ihe

being deceived by that cloud of witneffes
which confirms the truth of our religion j
by thofe evidently divine proofs which cha-
rafterife it : and yet he is not afraid of decei-
ving himfelf ! And why! oh depraved reafon!
do you counterfeit the fear of being deceived
by thefe well authorized teftimonies of the
Deity ; yet are under no apprehenfioii of
deceiving yourfelf in this important matter ?
What if God fhould manifeft himfelf to
Tou^ as he manifefted himfelf to his mini-
flers ? would not you then have ftill greater
reafon to be afraid of your own fallacious
imagination, than in cafe the whole univerfe
attefted to you what you was not able to*
fee for yourfelf ? Is not this conjunction^
unanimity and agreement of evidence, as
rational and demon ftrative a circumftance to
fix your belief, as if God had fpokeri in par-^
ticular to yourfelf? — No more, then,objea: to'
us — *' What ! always human teftimonies?'*
Doth not God himfelf fpeak to you by the
intervention of thefe men, whom he hath
chofen for that purpofe ? Has he not made
himfelf a guarantee, a pledge, by the mira-
cles which he hath enabled them to per-
form, " that they have only related to

'' you.

Chrijlian Religlofi vindicated. 145

*' you, what he would have declared Iilm-
*' felf to you." — Bcfides, could the weak
and feeble eyes of man have b^en able to
fupport the formidable fplendor of the fu-
preme majefty, if he had vouchfafed to
fpeak to him in perfon ? Surely not. — And
therefore to accommodate himfelf to our
condition, and in great condefcenfion to it's
frailties ; Divinity itfelf aflumed the cloath-
ing of humanity, in order to converfe with
mankind ; and eleded men for the accom-
plifhment of the work which it had fo be-
gun. Where would be the merit of fliith
and obedience, if God had fenfibly mani-
fefted himfelf to mankind ? His duty and
his perfection confift in walking here below,
amidfl: obfcurity but with certainty : in fee-
ing objeds only as inveloped in clouds : and
it is by this method that he muft arrive at
the feeing them clearly and unveiled.

Who is Roufleau ; — what are all the Infi-
dels together, that they (hould prefcribe to
the Deity the method, by which he ought
to fpcak with them ? Will they be fo daring,
as to pretend he ought to have done fomc-
thing more than he has done ? Muft he be-
K come

146 The Trv T n of the

come vifible to all men, and, like the fun,
prefcnt himfelf dally before their eyes ? Nay,
even though he Ihould do fo, the impene-
trable fund of incredulity, demonftratcs to
our experience that they would flill have
their doubts, and inceffantly deny or con-
teft the fad:, under fome pretence or other.
For, if they have not proofs as fenfible and
demonftrative ; they have at leaft thofe
which are as ftrong, and as certain, which
yet they oppofe through the grofleft abufe
and perverfion of their reafon*

Reafony opinion, and experience concur to
teach us, as we have [before fhewn, that
MAN IS SINFUL. The Chrijiian Religion^
alone does and could difcover to us his real
ftate : and alone is able to account for all
thofe ftrange inconfiftencies in his conftitu-
tion. This reveals to us, that man, by
reafon of his fin, is degraded from that
ftate of excellence wherein he was created,
and reduced to the wretched condition of a
flave vanquiflied by his enemy. The infidel
dafhes himfelf againfl a myftery fo elevated :
and yet, as the great Pafchal obferves, ex-
clufive of this myftery, which is the moft

incomprehenfible

ChnJUiin Religion 'vindicated, 147

incomprchenfible of all j we ourlclves are
incomprchcnlible by ouriclves. Tlic knot
of our condition is fo intricately ravelled and
perplexed in this dark abyfs, that man him-
ielf is more inconceivable without the ad-
dition of this myftery, th an this myftery is
to man.

Being thus become culpable, what re-
mained in man's pofleflion, after the com-
miflion of his offence, which could incline
God to manifcfl himfelf to him? Was it
not a very happy circumftance for him, that
God would iiill deiQ:n to difcover himfelf
in any manner whatever ? Is it not an unde-
ferved favour, that the Deity fliould in any
way he pleafed to employ him, previoufly,
and with a view to his introduftion into
that fandluary, which was rendered inaccef-
fible to man, from the inftant of his fall ? —
Oh ingrateful and unnatural ! who inilead
of being penetrated with a lively fcnfe of
gratitude, towards that gracious Being,
who ftretches forth the hand of mercy, to
raifc them from their fallen condition : on
the contrary, hefitate not inceflahtly to
bkfphcme all the fi[;nal teftimonics of his
K 2 kindnefs

148 The T Kx^rn of the

kindncfs towards them. Kindnefs, whofe
high bleffingf they will not receive, or admit
as offered to them -, unlefs the Deity fhall
manifeft himfelf to recommend them, by
proofs as palpable as they may wantonly re-
quire. This wretched fituation of mind,
horrible as it appears, is the juft punifhment
of their demerits : It is without any foun-
dation, and therefore argues them guilty
of the higheft adl of injuftice, that they
will raflily drawconfequences from it againft
the Chriftian Religion. That religion, which
openly acknowledges, that fince the fall of
mankind, God hath not manifefted himfelf
to them, with all the evidence he is able to
difplay : — and which alfo inculcates on man-
kind, thefe two following truths, namely.
That there is a Goi>, of whofe mercy they
are enabled to avail themfelves ; and a
corruption in their nature, which renders
them unworthy of it,

Thefe principles being eflablifhed, the
neceffary refult is, that the Deity being from
henceforth, a God concealed from man, an
Invifible Ejence \ man has only to fubmit,
to adore and thank him, in whatever man-
ner

Chrijlian Rellgio?i vindicated, 149

ner he may be plcafed to manifcfl himfelf ;
provided the tokens of his prefence be cer-
tain. Now, the proofs in fupport of the
Chriftian Religion, are certain — arc incon-
teftible : for, as w<j have before taken occafi-
on to obfervc, nothing is more abfurd than
the contempt exprefled by Roufl'eau for the
authority of human teftimony. Were that
authority to be fuperfcded, into what an
horrible ftate of pyrrhonifm would the hu-
man race be plunged 1 — Moft of the adions
of mankind, are founded upon human tefti-
monies ; and by the light of this authority,
men adl with as much certainty, as if
they had feen the things which they have
reported to us.

Have not we therefore demonflrations, 111
the nature of fadls as certain and infallible,
as thofe of geometry or the mathematics ? —
It would be equally foollfli to doubt of ei-
ther; fincc, upon proofs of the firfl kind,
things which arc acknowledged in the world,
as the moll: certain, arc eflabliflied.

§. VI. The only queftion then which Miracles
remains, is, to know whether the favfts and jy J^'^f^^^
K 3 human

i^o The Truth of the

^' human evidence, on which the chriftian re-

Ii2:ion is founded, have all the charadters
and qualities neccflary to form an invincible
proof. Now, was there ever any thing fo
certain, fo authentic and fo well verified, as
the miracles which demonllrate the divinity
of our relio;ion ? The whole univerfe hath
borne a glorious teftimony to the truth of
their exiftence, by it's faith and fubmiffion :
they are attefted in records, againft which
all the fliafts of the mofl envenomed infi-
delity fhall not be able to prevail. Thefe
records bear fuch ftrong characters of
fmcerity, as ftifle every the leaft fufpiclon
to the contrary. Their truth is confirmed
by witneflis fo worthy, of credit, fo inca-
pable of being themfelves deceived, or of
having wilfully deceived others ; that any
mind which makes ufe of it's reafon has
all the afiiirance it can defire. The ancient
enemies of the Chrifiian Religion never
dared to charge with forgery thofe fadls
on which it is fupported : and no body
would have been more ready than they
to publifh fjch a difcovery ; it would have
been a very eafy matter to have detected
the confpiracy of tliofe men who had been

dcfirous

Chrljllan ReVigion 'vindicated, l^i

defirous of feducing the whole world : It
would have been impoflible that, amongll the
multitude of thofe who had concurred in it,
(efpecially as many of them were afterwards
feparated,) no one, either incited by revenge,
or by the love of truth, fliould have laid open
the fallacious fcheme. In fine, Does the
teillmony of thofe many martyrs, who have
fealed the truth of all thefe fads with their
blood; — does a teftimonylike this, ftill leave
room for a (ingle doubt of their veracity ? —
7, fays the celebrated Pafchal, do readily be--
lieve the truth of thofe hijlories^ whcfe witnef-
fes voluntarily fuffered death in fupport of it.

The refult of the whole matter then, is
this : In order to invalidate the truth and
authenticity of the miracles wrought in
confirmation of our holy religion, we muft
of neceflity unite to call in queftion all the
fads which have ever happened in the
world : fince no fad in the v/orld is fo well
eflablilhed, as thofe miracles evidently are.

But, left the infidel {hould ftill refufe
his aflent to fo many well attcfled miracles^
wc would leave no means unemployed to
convince and confute him. §. VII,

J52 TZf T R u T H of the .

The con- §. VII. Is not, thcn, the exiftence of the

ofchHiH-C'^^i^i^" Religion, thus fupportedand refo-

anicy, a lutcly perfevering, amidfl: 'io many oppofiti-

ons as have been made againft it in all ages,

' an ever vifible and continual miracle? —

what is more grand, more admirable, or

more divine, than a religion, always at war,

continually refifled, yet always viflorious

and triumphant !

No fooner does this religion make it's firfl;
appearance in the world, than it is perfecut-
ed on every fide ; principahties and powers,
are up in arms to oppole it : chriftian blood,
is every where feen to flow : and, by a
miracle, capable of aftoniihing the mofl
confum.mate infidelity; — a confpiracy for-
med againft it, and fuch an one as would
inevitably have annihilated a human inftitu-
tion, ferves only to add new luftre and
magnificence to that of the Chriflian Reh-
gion ; a confpiracy, whofe attempts, calcu-
lated for it's immediate deftrudlion, tend only
to render it more firm and immoveable. No
punifhments, not orments are fpared : it's per-
iecutorsexhauftthemfelves in the invention of

new

Chrijiian Religion 'vindicated.
new methods, to effect the deftrudlion and
overthrow of this rifing religion : nay, in
order the more furely to fucceed ; they dived
their fouls of all thofe fentiments which
humanity (hould infpire towards even the
vileil malefaftors.

But all thefe refinements of human cruel-
ty and injuftice fervc only the more to ex-
tend it: The more chriftians areput to death,
the more fpring up anew; their blood became
a fruitful feed, which failed not to produce
others ; and by that means chriftianity found
itfelf fully recompenced for all it's lofles : In
fhort, by a prodigy which furpafles all con-
ception, even the very perfecutors of this
religion, according to the promifes which
were made to it, flocked in together them-
felves to embrace it, to acknowledge it's di-
vinity and to fet their mark to it's feal.

If from it's perfccutions fromjwithout, wc
on to the attacks which this religion hath
fuftained within itfelf; what mufl be our
aftonifhment and admiration! How many
ftorms and tempcfts are ftirrcd up againft it,
even in its bofom ! How many inward ene-
mies

»53

154 ^^^ Truth of the

mies ; as powerful as the former — bat
fo much the more dangerous, as they co-
vered themfelves with the mafk of religion
itfelf, in order to attack it — has it not had
to encounter ! How many herefies, fchifms
and divifions, fuggefled by hell ; which muft
inevitably have deftroyed chriftianity, had it
derived it's origin from men ! —

A thoufand times has it feemed to be uporf
the very brink of ruin, at the point of total
deflr-udion, and juft ready to be buried in
it's own fhattcred remains ; but every time it
has been reduced to this melancholy fitua-
lion, God has refcued and upheld it by the
extraordinary exertions of his power. The
more imminent it's danger appeared, fo much
the more glorioufly was his ever-watchful
protedion difplayed : he had foretold and
aflured it that it fhould undergo tbefe trials;
• and that promife, which rendered it liiperior
to all the efforts of hell, hath aUvays met
with a faithful accomplifiiment.

Does any one perceive here the work of
rnan ; a work of falfliood and deception ? If
the Chriffian.Religion, were of this character,

could

Chrijiian Religion 'Vindicated. l}^

coukl it have refiftcd fo many alTaults com-
bined to deftroy ii. ? Experience teaches us
what would infaUibly have been it*s fate,
if it had not been the work of God : all
human undcrt.ikings find fiipport only in
proportion to their eflimation with the pow-
ers of the flate where they are fet on foot :
from the inflant they have been deferted by
fuch afliftunces, and thofe powers have
rifen up to oppofc them ; fuch works of
darknefs have foon (hrunk back to that no-
thingnefs and obfcurity, from whence they
derived their original. This is what we
have fo often feen, with refpecl to all
the fedls which have been formed to com-
bat the Chriflian Reh'gion. Kingdoms
themfelves would perifli, did they not fre-
quently make the laws bend to their necef-
fity : they could not preferve themfeives,
were they not fometimes thus enfeebled :
but then this weaknefs and pliancy infenfibly
leads them to their ruin ; and thus it happens
that there has rrot been one kingdom which
hath lafled i 500 years. But the Chriflian
Religion hath never employed fuch means
for it's fupport. It hath always upheld itfelf

without bendine; and fmkini: under the ar-

bitrary

156 77je Tj^vth of the

bitrary will of it's enemies and perfecutors ;
though it hath had to ftruggle with oppofi-
tions, more violent than thofe of kingdoms.
— - Could it have preferved itfelf thus un-
touched, without an ever-vifible miracle,
nan"iely, the protection of God, exerted in
it's favour ? — We may therefore moft rati-
onally conclude, that the Chriftian Religion
is.not onlyfounded upon miracles > but that it
is in itfelf, the greateft of miracles, a miracle,
continual and ever fubfifting,

wimefres §. VIII. " If, fays Rouffeau, we would
toChrifti-<t j-eceive as true all the miracles, which

an Mira- t i 1

des. ** the common and ignorant people through

** every country of the world affirm to have

*' feen, every fei5t would be in the right.

" There would be more miraculous events

** than natural ones, and the greateft mi-

" racle of all would be to find that no mi-

*' racles had happened where fanaticilm had

y been perfecuted. "* "

The plain drift of which fpeech, is mere-
ly to induce mankind to rejed: the miracles
which authorize the Chriftian Religion ; as
having no other v/itneffes of their truth than
the common and ignorant people.

The

♦ Vol. iii. p. III.

Chrijllan Religion vindicated. 1 57

The whole of what we have already ob-
ferved on this fubjecl of miracles, confutes
thefc frivolous declamations and falfc pre-
tences of intidehty. Were thofe many dif-
tinguiflied perfons who have engaged in the
caufe of the Chriflian ReHgion, were thofe ma-
ny fuperior geniufes, who have born teftimony
to the veraciry of our miracles, and whofc
abilities and fagacity are well known ; — were
thefc nothing but common ignorant, people ?

— But, on v/hat ground can RoulTeau rejedt
the people's evidence in favour of our Mira-
cles? Are not they within the comprehenfion
of the moft fimple minds ? Is it neceflliry to
be a philofopher, or a geometrician, to be in
a condition proper to form a judgment of
them ? the matter in queftion is, Difeafes
cured ; cripples reftored to their Limbs ;
dead bodies raifed to life. Now, are not the
common people, as well able to judge of
thefe matters, as the mofl fkilful Phyfician ?

— it needs only eyes to fee a difeafed perfon,
a cripple or a dead body ; and thefe fame
eyes, can afterwards dlfcern, whether the
fick man be in good health, the cripple's
hmbs reftored ; and whether the dead eat,

drink

i^^ 7h Trvtu of the

drink and walk : every man, who has his
fight may eafily know whether, from the
bare fpeaking or fingle touch of another
man, the fick man received health, the
cripple the free ufe of his limbs, and the
dead body's refloration to life.

Miracles are, as It were, the alphabet of
all religion. The end and defign of them, is
to place the fublimeft truths within every
man's comprehenfion ; and to open an eafy
entrance for all into that holy religion, which
they authorize. Confequently,the ignorant,
as well as the learned, may pafs fare judg-
ment upon them.

The teftimony of the people, with refped
to the miracles of the Chriftian Religion, is
fo much the more decifive, as all the world
knows with what obftinacy the common
people perfevere In that religion of their fore-
fathers, which they have imbibed from their
infancy. How clear then, how certain and
convincing muft thofe miracles have been,
which could impell them to renounce their
primitive religion, in order to embrace chrif-
tianity !

§. IX.

Chrijlian Religion vindicate J. ^ j^g,

§. IX. The mod: inattentive reader can- The rca-
not have failed to obferve, that Ron ffeau is raclcs."^^'*
a mofl vigilant advocate for infidelity j ala-
mort inexhauflible in arguments.

la the Hid. voUimc of his Emlllus p.
145. he goes on to furnifli us with new
proofs of his indefatigable fcepticifm. " The
** fupreme Being, fays he, is beft difplayed
*' by the fixed and unalterable laws of na-
** ture. If there fliould happen many ex*
** ceptions to fuch general laws, I fliould
** no lonsier know what to think: and for
*' my own part, I mull confefs, I believe
*^ too much in God to 'credit fo many
•* miracles, fo little worthy of him. "

Without doubt, the general order of na-
ture perfedly difplays the greatnefs of the
fupreme Being. But this order, thus per-
petual and conftant, fliouts to the deafcft
cars, and fpeaks aloud to the mod obdurate
hearts. This is a continual miracle, and
one which comprehends a multitude of mi-
racles : but yet in vain does it fcek to call back
mortals to the knowledge of their maker,
We arc accuftomed to every objcdt in nature :

t6o ne Tkuth of fhe

the great wonders of the world, arc fal-
len into a kind of difparagement and dif-
regard, and no longer flrike our attention,
becaufe they are ever prefent. An obferving
mind, which religioufly refledls on this com-
pound of miracles, fome more amazing than
others, is, as it were, terrified at the contem-
plation : vjhile all it*s attention is infufficient
to deliberate upon,and confider the vafi: variety.

Objlupefcity obrulturque miraculis. St. Aug,

It is the fame God, who every day works
all thofe miracles, wherewith nature is re-
plete, and thofe which are lefs common and
more remarkable : But, becaufe cuftom in-
duces forgetfulnefs of the grandeur of the
former ; becaufe mankind, diverted by many
objedls, no longer attend to ordinary events,
or take occafion from them to elevate their
mind,to their almighty difpencer^and to render
him that worfhip, which therefore is fo juftly
his due : on thefe accounts, and in amazing
condefcenfion to our weaknefs, he hath gra-
cioufly referved certain extraordinary events ;
which he afliduoufly takes care, from time to
time, to produce, withaview to arouze man-
kind

Chnjlian Religion "oindicatcd, 1 6 1

kind, from their lethargy of negligence.
If thefe Icfs ufiial miracles, have a more
ftriking effedl upon us than others, it is not
that tjiey 2re more excellent than thofe of
which we are daily fpedlators ; but that being
lefs frequent, they render us more fcnfible
of the prefence of their author.

Roufleau therefore is in the wrong to tell
us, that the fupreme Being is beft difplayed
by the unalterable kw of nature. Both
equally difplay him. For, in the fame man-
ner that this Being can preferve that eftab-
lifhed order of things, he can alfo at his
pleafure reverfe it : and, with refpedl to our
difpofitions, the reverfing of this order, makes
us ftill more fenfible of the exidence of a
fupreme Being.

The general law of nature would have
been very fufficicnt to make known to man
the author of his being j but this law, fo
continually purfued, was infufficient to lliew
him what were the particular inclinations
of that divine Bcine : it was infufllcicnt fo
the cflablillimcnt of a religion, fuch an
as mi^ht fuit the condition of finfulMan.

L It

i62 The Truth of the

It therefore became neceffary that the Deity
in his vvil'dom {hould referve the means ca-
pable of evincing to mankind, that it was
he himfelf who had propofed fuch and
fuch a dodrine to them, by thofe perfons
whom he had chofen to be his delegates
and meflengers. Now, what method was
there more proportionate to the real ftatc
of man, than that of miracles? — God hath
engraven on the very foundation of our na-
ture, fentiments, which bear fo intimate a
relation with thefe means of convidlion,
that they would naturally bend our reafon
to their authority, did not our paffions and
prejudices intrude, and prevent their good
effedl.

Rotifieau may tell us, as long as he plcafes,
that if there were many exceptions to the
general law of nature, he fhould not know
what to think of them : But, as for us Chrift-
ians, we fhall ever know what we ought to
think of them 3 and that becaufe reafon and
religion join to teach us, that all thefe excep-
tions of what kind, or how numerous foever
they be, are ordained by the infinite wifdom

of

Chrijllan Religion I'nuHcated. 163

of our God, in kindnefs and conipaflion for
his creatures : We know, that their end and
defignation, is to inftru6t us, and to regulate
our faith and opinions.

Weak mortal ! who can venture to place
the very confined view^s of his feeble reafon,
in competition with the inacceflible efful-
gence of that reafon, which is fupreme and
everlafting. Unwife ! who would oppofe
the vain prepoffeflions of his reafon to the
divinity of our miracles ; and who believes
the deity capable of forming only what ke
can underlland and comprehend ! — Tell me,
O man ! you, who pretend to fo much reafon
and good fenfe ; Do you comprehend the
CEConomy of G o d in the general order of
nature ; and can you render a reafon for all
that he does in that immcnfe fphere of a(fli-
on ? — Ah ! why then, would you require me
to give you the reafon for all thofe miracles,
thofe extraordinary effccfls, which the deity
difplays ^-^Non opus ejl mult a pcrcurrere, de
quotidianis rebus^ 7iemo reddit rationem : et
extgis a me de yniraculis rationem ? — Ceafe
then, ungrateful mortal ! to vilify the divi-
L 2 liity

1 64 The Truth of the

nity of our miracles : noli calumniari iivi"
nitati miraculorum. St. Aug.

Incredulous ! who complains that God
works too many miracles! and yet, may
we fairly afk, are there enow wrought for
him ; for his convidion, who can thus ob-
ftinately perfift in his blindnefs? — He
tells us" he believes too much in God to
** credit fo many miracles, fo little worthy
*' of his nature. '' But let him rather fay he
does not believe in God at all ; and that he is
not in the leaft defirous of fo believing ; and
that this is the true reafon which induces him
not to credit the miracles wrought by that
God 5 miracles, which muft neceffarily force
him to renounce his infidelity. Roufleau at
moft believes in that God which his extra-
vagant imagination has contrived to frame :
but the true God, the God of the Chrijlig
ans^ is no God for Roufleau.

The §• -^- Roufleau deems fome miracles,

chriiiian as we find, very little ^worthy of the divine
ft.proper, E^ing : What are thofe miracles then, to
and be- yvhich he fo freely objeds. This we fliali
'^ ' proceed to confider, and, if poflible, compre-
hend ;

Chrtjllan Religion vijidlcatcd, i6

hend; a diflicult taflc but which perhaps
\vc fhall mod cafily perform by attending
to thofe which he deems on the contrary
to be truly worthy of God! In his Hid,
volume p. 145-6. he fays, *' What if a man
*' fliould come and harangue you in this
*' manner '' I come, ye mortals, to announce
*' to you the will of the moil: high ; — ac-
" knowledge in my voice that of Him who
" hath fent me. I command the fun to
'* change his courfe, the ftars to fliift their
" places ; the mountains to difappear ; the
*' floods to fix themfelves on high, and the
" earth to aflumc a different afped: j — Who
'^ would nor, at the fight of fuch miracles
" as thefe, immediately attribute them to the
*' author of nature ? She is not obedient to
*^ impoftors/*

You fee here the miracles, which, alone,
RoufiTeau deems to be worthy of the deity :
But, as for the inflantaneous curing of all
forts of difcafes, wrought by a fingle touch
and the folc adt of fptech 5 the deUvcrance
of thofe pofllfied with devils, and the raid-
ing of dead bodies to life : — Rouflcau
makes light cf them ; He judges them un-
L 3 worthy

i66 The T R xj T n of the

worthy of God, and requires others to be
performed for his convidlion : like thofe blind
and unbelieving pharifeesand fadducees,who,
after having been eye v^itneffes of the many
cures performed by Jesus Christ, ftill
alked of him figns.. from heaven, to con-
vince them. Mark viii. ii. Deceived and
blind ! v^ho, know^ing no bounds to their
hardened and ftubborn infidelity, feek ftill
farther to tempt the almighty, and to find
pretences for confirming their obftinacy.
Would it not be fruitlefs if God fhould
grant them their unrighteous demand ? was
he to do fo, they would not become more
faithful: — after having excepted againft fo
^pany miracles juft wrought before their
faces, would they ever the more believfe
thofe which they prefcribed him to perform?
— Might they not make a ridicule of them,
equally with the others, by attributing them
to different latent caufcs in nature j or to the
various accidents incidental to the air * ?

For you, who can blafpheme fo many
miracles, miracles which your eyes have

Quafi non pofTint et ilia calumniari, et dicere ex
occultis and variis aeriis pulfionibus accidifTe. St. Hieroa
in Matt. cap. xiii,

feen.

Chnjlia?t Religion vindicated. 167

Icen, your hands handled, and vvhofc whole
utility you clearly perceive ; what advan-
tage could you derive from the figns which
heaven Ihould afford you "^ ?

Rouffeau, copying after the apoflatc
Juliany tcftifies nothing but fcorn and con-
tempt for the miracles, which God hath
hitherto performed. *' What miracles, fays
" the impious Julian, did Jesus perform
" through his whole life, that deferved
** mention ; uniefs we will allow a place
*' among the number of extraordinary works,
'* to his curing the lame and blind, and the
** expulfion of devils in the villages of
** Bethlaida and Bethany f ? "

*' Julian, "replies St. Cyril, by venturing to
rejedl the divine miracles of Jesus Christ,
fhews us, that he knew not how to admire
what was worthy admiration. How could
Jesus Ciir i st better prove his divii^ity,and
better eftablidi his religion ? — by producing a

• Nam qui calumniat is ea qu2c oculis viJcs, manu tcnes,
ulititate fcnlis, quid fadurus cs de his, qux dc calo vcnc-
r'.nt ? —

f Jefus, quo vLxIi tempore, nullum opus fecit mirabile,
nift quLs claudos ct cclcos curare, et dcmones adjurare
in Etthfaida tt Bcthr.nia opus ciTcmaximus putct. S. Cyril.
Lib, vi. in Julian.

wild

i68 The T ^ 15 T 11 of the

wild cbnfafion and diforder in the heavens?—^
by making another earth fpring out of the
world of waters ? — or by difcovering new
wonders in the fun, moon and ftars ? — No>
this was not the end of our Lord's incarna-
tion : he came not to aftoniQi men and to fa-
tlsfy their vain curiofity ; but he came to de-
liver them from all thofe fpiritual and corpo-
ral miferies, which overwhelmed them -, and
to refcue them from that two-fold flavery
•under which they groaned : he w^s pleafed
to recall us to the knowledge of truth of
which we had deprived ourfelves ; and, ia
order to fucceed in that gracious purpofe,
condefcended, that his miracles, equally bear^
ing the ftamp of his goodnefs and his power,
fliould Infpire us with a juft confidence to
return to him. His great plan was to point
out in his miracles, a lively and fenfible
reprefentation of thofe efFeds v/hich they
ought to produce in our fouls. And as
corporal difeafes are the moft natural re-
femblance of fpiritual maladies, he hath in
the miraculous cure of the former, painted
thofe of the latter kind, which fliould pro-
perly follow, or accompany them -, is there
^py thing more beautiful, more noble, and

ingre

Chr'ijlian Religion 'v! mil cat e J, 169

inore worthy of the godhead, than thefe
multiplied, and concurrent eftcds of divine
goodnefs and omnipotence ? Could the e-
ternal wifdom, the word of the father, the
creator of man, do any thing more worthy
of his nature, than thus to reftore his work
to its firft eftate , thus to heal the body, in
order to condudt us to the cure of the
foul ; and thus to become the faviour of our
nature from all the evils which afHidl it ? '*

** What more confident with the great-
** nefsof God,'* fays Ladantius (addreffing
himfelf to the adverfarics of the Chriftiaa
Religion) *' what more worthy the admira-
** tion of all ages, than to have renewed ex-
** piringlife^ to have given back years already
** elapfed 3 — to have enlightened the fecret
" horrors of the grave* ?" This inefFabk
power, however, was but the image of an-
other ftill greater : and demonftrated the
future efficacy of Jesus Christ's doc-
trine throughout the world, in turning

• Quid congruentiu3 Deo, quid miraculo dignius om-
Tiiam feculoruni, quam decurfam vitam refignafTe, com-
pletlfque homlr.um tcmporibus tcmpora adjcci/Tc, arcana

jnankind

170 The Truth of the

mankind from darknefs to light, from death
to immortality.

Muft we not be as incredulous as a Rouf-
feau, to be infenfible of miracles which denote
fuch excellence and kindnefs ? — Rouffeau
aflures us, he would inflantly attribute to the
Lord of nature the performance of thofe
miracles which he demands ; " Becaufe, fays
** he, nature is never obedient to impoftors."
Will he then dare to fay, and will he be able
to prove to us, that at the voice of an im-
poftor the ^ dead may revive, the blind fee,
the deaf hear, the lame walk, the palfied
recover the ufe of their limbs, and all other
maladies, be cured ? — How could he broach
fo deteftable a blafphemy? — He can certain-
ly find no one example, to countenance it.
Why then does he delay the homage due to
a religion, whofe grandeur and excellence
are proclaimed by fo many miracles, and
thofe fo evidently divine ? In vain does the
prefent generaiion of infidels demand other
figns and wonders. They have more already
than are requifite to render them inexcufa-
ble. The figns they alk will one day be
granted to their confufion. The heavens

and

Chnjllan Religion viridicafeJ, iji

and eartli, and the whole frame of nature
fliall confcfs their Lord ? And the impious
unbehever, after having ungratefully refufed
to acknowledge his God and Saviour in
the gracious figns of his kindiief^ and mercy,
fliall then behold himfelf forced to acknow-
ledge him in the terrible and dreadful figns
of his anger and hiijujlice.

§ XI. The miracles wrought in favour of Miracles
revelation fufficiently demonftrate that it canj'/^j^h Jf 3
contain noihing contrary to found reafon.^o^/^"^-

A furvey

Rouffeau, as we have feen, makes ufe of every of fcrip-
effort in his power to controvert their c^i^-[ilatii *ht
tence, under the poor pretence that he has
mt feen them. But, fenlible that he could
not long maintain that port:, he has referved
to himfelf a laft entrenchment ; ^nd, ac-
cordingly he gives out, that, admitting the
truth of our miracles^ we could never the
more ftrongly conclude in fupport of the
truth of our doBrinc : In order to eftablifh
which point, he reafons as follows* :

** The mod: Important examination, after
^ all, remains to be made into the truth of

* Sec vol. iii. p. 147,

" the

172 The Truth of the

** the doftrines delivered: for, as thofcwho
" fay that God is pleafed to work thefe
** miracles, pretend that the Devil fome-
*^ times imitates them ; we are not a jot
** nearer than before, though fuch miracles
" fhould be ever fo well attefted. As the
*' magicians of Pharaoh worked the fame
*' miracles, even in the prefence of Mofes,
*' as he himfelf performed by the exprefs
** command of God ; why might not they,
"in his abfence from, the like proofs, pre-
*' tend to the fame authority ? Thus, after
** having proved the truth of the dodlrine
** by the miracle, you are reduced to the
" neceffity of proving the truth of the mi-
** raclebythat of the doctrine, left the work
*' of the Devil fhould be miftaken for that
*' of the Lord." " This^ he adds in a note
on the paflage, is exprefly mentioned in
many places of fcripture ".

This argument has no other foundation
than idXkfuppofitions. He would here en-
deavour to turn our own weapons againft
us, by allowing, for that purpofe, fome au-
thority to the fcriptures, and to our divines.
But, in order fully to confute this artful rea-

foner

Chrijlian Beligicn vindicated. ,1^73

foner, nnd clear up the point inqueftion, wc
will make it our bufinefs to fl:ew, hy fcrip^
tare and tradition.

That every true miracle, merely as fuch,
authorifes us to infer the truth of the doc-
trine, in favour of which it is performed. —
That what is truly a miracle can never be
joined with a falfhood, or a vicious dodlrine.
— That the authority of miracles is ever
independant of the difcufiions of the doc-
trine, and of the circumftanccs which ac-
company it ; and that no true miracle can
be employed to turn mankind from that path
of duty which the Deity had prefcribed to
them. — That if the Devil can never work
true miracles, God can ftill iefs work thofe
which are connedled with error, in order to
tempt mankind, or prover their fidelity. —
And laftly, That true miracles are an authen-
tic teftimony of the approbation of God, and
a certain proof of the diiplay of his truth and
ri^htcoufncfs.

Such is the plain dodlrine which tradition,
and our Divines, in common confcnt with the
fcriptures, inculcate and recommend to our

Aith.

J74 5^^^ Truth of the

faith. We think it incumbent upon us, there-
fore, to vindicate what they have thus pro-
pofed, from the affronts and indignity which
Rouffeau has thought proper to offer it.

For this purpofe we begin with fcripture :
and we will beg leave firfl to make fome ge-
neral remarks.

The Almighty, in fcripture, attributes
to himfelf the fole right and prerogative of
working true miracles. Pfal. Ixxii. 1 8.

He propofeth to his people the miracIes^
which he performs, as a certain and decifive
proof, that he is the only true God, and
that belides him there is no other, Deut. iv.

He defieth the Gods of the nations who
are Devils, to work miracles like his, Ifai.
xli. and promifeth, even to acknowledge them
for Gods, if they could do fo.

He hath alfo, in feveral places of fcrip-
ture, and efpecially by the mouth of his pro-
phets, very expreffly declared, that there is
none like him, who can heal our infirmities,
who hath the power of hfe and of death ^

v^ho

Cbrijlian Religion vindicated. 175

who carrieth down to the gates of the grave,
and bringeth back from thence, Pf. cii. 20.
Wifd. xiii. xvi. He folemnly protefts to the
worfliipcrs of falfe Gods, that they afked
heahh of thofe who were but weaknefs, and
required Hfe of the dead : and he aflures
them, that thefe Gods cannot deliver from
death, or give fight to the blind, or admi-
nifter fuccour to men under their calamities.

Bat let us defcend to thofe particular ob-
fervations on facred fcripture, which more
immediately tend to contirm our firft propo-
pofitlon ; namely, that every true miracle,
merely as fuch, authorifes us to infer from
thence the truth of the dodtrine in favour
whereof it is performed.

The Lord appears to Moses upon Mount
Iloreb, and declares to him his intention of
fending him into iEgypt, to deliver his peo-
ple, the children of Ifrael, from the bondage
under v/hich they had fo long groaned.
Mofes excufcs himfelf j and would willing-
ly avoid executing the commifTion of God :
They ivill not believe ?ne, fays he to the Al-
mighty,

i;^ 7i}e Truth of tfj^

MIGHTY, but they will Jay, the Lord hcith
not appeared unto thee, Exod. iii. iv.

The Lord then, in order to convince
Mofes, that fuch is his will, performs feveral
miracles before bis face, and inverts him
with power to repeat them before the chil-
dren of Ifrael, to the end they (hould believe,
that the Lord, the God of their fathers' had
certainly appeared to him.

Mofes, in confequence of this aflurarice,
fubmits, and departs to execute the com-
mands of God ; he afTembles together all
the elders of the children of Ifrael; Aaron
/ relates to them all that the Lord had fpoken

to Mofes, and works miracles before the
people. The people believe him, and all
of them, proftrating themfelves, adore the
Almighty in his wonderful adls.

Now, if miracles afforded not a certain
demonftration of truth, why fliould God
have given them to Mofes, as an evident
token of the divinity of his miflion ? How
could Mofes have been fatisficd with them,
and have believed, without the power to doubt

any

Chrijlian Religion ^Siiullcated, ijj

any longer the divinity of him who fpoke
to hini ? And wliy, in fliort, fliould the If-
faehtes have fo readily believed the word of
Moles, confirmed by miracles ? Neither of
them would have failed to confider fuch a
proof as very equivocal, and fubjeft to nu-
merous deceptions.

Mofes prefents himfelf before Pharaoh,
and commands him, on the part of God,
to let the Hebrew people go into the wilder-
nefs, that they might facrifice to him. To
prove his divine miffion, and to perfuade the
king, he works feveral miracles before him.
Pharaoh's heart is hardened : he refufes to
obey the injundlion of God, and gives no
creditto Mofes's miracles. And what is the
the confequence ? He, his people, and do-
minions, are fmitten with a multitude of
plagues, in puniQimcnt of his inlidclity, and
to convince his obftinacy. — But wherefore
is all this ? If miracles are not of themfelvcs
dccifive, if they may be conne6led with falfe-
hood, or if the Devil may work them,
where is the crime of Pharaoh and the
j^Lgyptians ? How did they merit fuch fe-
verc chaftifemcnts ? Was not every ciicum-
M limce

178 The Truth of the'

fiance in their favour, and a jufti&catlon of
their condud ? — They refufed, it is true,
to releafe the Ifraelites, notwithftanding the
miracles of Mofes ; but, did not they adl
prudently, and was not their refufal reafona-
ble, in cafe thofe miracles were not in them-
felves an indubitable token of the truth of
what he advanced ?

Reafon requires of as to yield to that evi-
dence only which bears with it a certain cha-
rader of truth. The miracles, therefore,
which God wrought by the hand of Mofes,
mufl have been an infaUible and incontefti-
ble proof of his will : fo, that the iEgyp^
tians were culpable for not yielding their
affent to them : thus, by a juft confequencey
the terrible chaftifements wherewith the
Deity afflifts them, fully teach us, that true
miracles Gonftitute fo perfedl a demonflra-
tion, as no one can refill, without refifting
the Deity himfelf..

Mofes leaves Egypt with the Ifraelites ;
and condu(fts them into the wildernefs, pur-
fuant to the command he had received for
that purpofe. God flill further multiplies

miracles

Cb'rijiian Rcngron v.ndu\:iCLL 179

miracles in their favour ; a cloud covers
them during the day, and a mofl allonidiing
pillar illuminates them during the night:
Purfucd by the ^Egyptians, the fea opens
before them ; it's feparated water yields them
a free p.iffige : the i^^gyptians take the fame .
rout : Mofes extends his hand over the
waves : they rufli forward with their ufual
impetuofity ; and Pharaoh, and all his hoft,
are fu^allowed in the deep. From that
time, God continually works miracles by
the miniftry of Mofes : the detail of
which would be too long for our prefent
purpole.

And yet — notwithftanding all this, the
Ifraelites, ungrateful and rebellious, mur-
mur continually againft Mofes, and arc
ever ready to form an infurredtion againft
hilm • tcdifying only bitter regret, at having
left their ancient fervitude. Hoij long^ fays
the Lord, 'will this people provoke me by their
outrages ? How long nujill they refufe to
believe in me^ after all the fgns "which 1
have Jl:ewed among them? Numb. xiv. 11.
All thnfe men, nwho have feen the fplendor
cf my glory, and my 7niracles 'which I did
\ M 2 in

I So 72;^ T R u T H o/' the

in Mgypt y and who^ far from obeying my
'voice ^ have tempted 7ne mio thefe ten times :
I fwear by myfelf that they fijalt not fee the
land ^ivhich I fware n?it9 their fathers.
Numb, xiv. 22, 23.

We fee from hence, how neceflary it Is,
that true miracles fhould be decifive proofs
in themfelves ; that they (hould always be
a fure and authentic teftimony of the divine
approbation j and that no one fliould poffi-
bly be able to refift their voice without
difobeying that of God : for were it other-
wife, how could God be provoked at the
refulal, which the Jews fignified, to fubmit
to that kind of evidence ? or how could he
pronounce fo terrible a decree againfl: their
incredulity ? If true miracles are equivocal
tokens of the will and commands of God ;
if they may be joined with falfehood ; and
if the devil can effed: them j would not the
Ifraelltes have had a very reafonable excufe
for their condud ? " Is it certain, might
"- they have faid, that God is the author
'' of thefe miracles? and, though he fhould
*' be fo, might we not ftill doubt of their
'' end anddefign? might we not have a

*' reafon

Chrijlian Religion 'vindicate J, i8i

*^ reafon to fear they were wrought merely
*' to tempt us, to fearcli our hearts and to try
** our fidelity? '* But they were far from
ufing fuch a language, and they found how
much they had been in the wrong, to re-
fifl fuch convincing proofs. The fcvcrc
vengeance which God exercifed upon them,
unanfwerably demonllrates the falfliood of
fuch frivolous pretences ; it will be forever
an invincible monument of the irrefragable
authority of miracles ; and jflill loudly pub-
liflies, what they ought to expecl:, who
dare to controvert or rejedt them.

Let us here call back in review feme
other fads, which, added to the foregoins:,
will form the complctell proof defircablc ;
— No fooner had Elijah raifed the widow of
Sarepta's fon, than that tender mother,
bathed in tears, cried out, in the joy of her
heart: Now by this I know that then art
a man of God 5 and that the word of tijc
Lord which is in thy mouth is truth ^ i Kings
xvii. 24.

No fooner is Naaman cured of hislcprofy,
than he acknowledges the miracle ; and ;

without

'l82 The T R u T H of the

without any further inquiry, cries out,'
iVc/W I knoii) there is no other God in all the
earth, than Him who is in Ifrael! 2 Kings
V. 15. From thenceforward he declares
to the prophet, he will no more worfhip
any other than that God, whofe divinity
his miraculous cure compelled him to ac-
knowledge.

From the moment the children of Ifrael
beheld fire fall down from heaven upon
Elijah's facrifice, convinced by fo decifive
a proof all their doubts wxre difperled ^
they prefently with one voice confeffed,
The Lordy he is the God I The Lord, he is.
the God I and immiediately exterminated the
prophets of Baal, i Kings xviii.

Such is the imprefiion which true mJfa-
clcs have always made : fuch the force and
authority they have ever preferved : fuch
the effcd: they have continually produced, of
themfclves, and wholly independant of cir-
cumflances. So foon as ever their voice hath
made itfclf heard ; miCn have defired nothing
more ardently than to fubmit themfelves
to wliat that voice authorized. If fome-

time5

Chrijlian Religion vindlcatect, l8j

times they have refufed alTcnt to their tefti-
iTiony, it was doing violence to thcmlclvcs,
and refifting by the force of their paffions
and the bhndncfs of their prejudices, that
natural impreffion which miracles could
not fliil of making upon their minds. Let
us purfue our tradition of fadts, and we (liall
prefently fee a flriking example.

Jesus Christ appears amongfl the
Jews: He opens his miflion by a variety of
aftoniihing miracles : He declares himfelf
the melTenger of God ^ liis own fon ; him,
who had been the defire of the faints, in all
ages ; him, whom the prophets had fo
conftantly foretold : He requires no one to
believe him on his bare word : but, to prove
what he advances, he works miracles with-
out number : caufes the deaf to hear, tlie
dumb to fpeak y gives fight to the blind, and
limbs to the lame ; cures the palfied ; and,
to fum up all in one word, makes the dead
to fpring from their graves : -— For thefe
proofs he requires to be believed, and for
thefe good works ^ demands to be gratefully
acknowledged.

St. John

lS4 1'l^e Truth of the

St. John fends two of his ^difciples to
Christ, to afk him whether he was the
Meffiah : — What anfwer does he return
them ? *' G^j andfoew John again t ho fe things
^' ivhich ye do hear and fee : 7 he blind
V' recei've their fight y the lame it' alky the
" lepers are cleanfed^ the deaf hear ; the
^' dead arife, "

One who was poffefled with a blind ancj
dumb fpirit, is prefented to Jesus: he (o
perfedlly reftores the man, that he fpeaks
and fees. The pharifees hereupon, to flifle
the impreffion which this miracle had upon
the minds of the people, pretend that
Jesus cafts out devils, only through the
power of Beelzebub. Jesus, who knew their
thoughts, (hews them that he cannot through
the power of Satan cafl out Satan, becaufe
Satan cannot be divided againfl himfelf. Af-
ter having clearly demonftrated, that his ex-
pulfion.of devils could only be through the
fpirit, and with the finger of GoD; he draws
this natural conclafion from the argument.
If J, then^ with the finger of God cafi out
devils ', you ought to believe that the king-

doni

Chrijllan Religion 'vmdicatcd. 18 J

dom of God is come unto you : " There Is
no middle way of deciding the matter ; no
ground to hefitate on the defign of the
miracle I have performed : it can come only
from GoD; and confequently it clearly
proves, that the kingdom of God is come
unto you ; becaufe it w^as defigned folely to
cftabhlli that kingdom.*' Luke xi.14, — 2«.

A paralytic is brought to Christ: He
faith, to him, My fon^ be of good cheer ^ thy
fins are forgiven thee. The pharifees upon
this accufe him of blafphcmy ^ Jesus, to
fliew them the falfliood of their accufation
anfwer, them ; That you may knoii) that thefon
cf man hath foiccr on earth to forgive fns, —
arifc [turning to the paralytic] take up thy
bcd^ and go unto thine houfe : inftantly the
before palfied perfon rifes up, takes his bed
upon his flioulders, and returns to his houfe,
glorifying God ; — It follows then from
b'.nce, and the foregoing inftances, that Jesus
Christ efleemed the miracles which he
here performed, as demonftrative proofs of
that power, which fome difputcd with him.
From hence too we learn, that the true
n:iiracle cannot have the devil for its author:
and that it cannot be connected with error

and

a?^ ^'he Truth of the

and falfhood : fince its nature and end are
lo diffipate all doubts, and to determine
every controverfy. Could a true miracle be
wrought for the -countenancing of error ^ it
would not prove, it would not decide, any
tiling of itfelf, or in the leaft tend to fettle
or remove our doubts. And fuch was the
very judgment which all the fpcftators paf-
fed on this laft mJracle of our Saviour :
the moment it was performed, without re-
quiring any thing further, all of them
changed from anger to admiration, and,
fmitten with deep aflonifhment, gave glory
to God. No one had any thing to oppofe
againft fuch evidence ; but, the warm tranf-
port of their gratitude cried out, *' We have
this day beheld wonderful things indeed ; nor
have we ever feen any thing like them ! *'
Such is the natural eftedl which true mira-
cles have conftantly produced ; fuch is the
convidtion, which they ordinarily carry home
even to the mod prejudiced minds.

In {hort, to abridge that multitude of
proofs which might be brought in confirm

mation

Chrijlian Religion vindicated, ^ ^/

mation of what we have advanced, we will
only gencVally obferve here, — that when-
ever Jesus is accufed, calumniated or af-
fronted by the Jews, he conftantly refers
them to his miracles, as the fullefl proof of
tliC divinity of his million, and the mod
perfect apology to every accufation which
might be formed againll him. T/je works
that I do^ fays he, the fame bear witnejs of
VIC, If you zzill not believe me^ at leajl
believe my ivorks. He declares to the
Jews, that if he had not done among
them all thefe miracles, they w^ould have
committed no frn in rcfufing to believe
him. Confequently, we may infer, that
true miracles have, and can ojily have God
for their author, and the eftablifliment of
truth for their end. Otherwife thofe of
Jesus Christ would have been but an
c equivocal proof, and the Jews would no
more have been blameable for not be-
lieving them, than if Christ had never
performed them at all.

And now we will beg leave to afk
Roufieau, where are thofe federal pafages
of fcripture, which he pretends to opnofc

againfl

[r^8 Tloe T ^ V r ^ of the

agasnfl: us ? — After texts io exprefs as thofe
we have quoted, we (hall {urely be difpen-
fed with from entering into the difcuffion of
thofe pretended ones he hints at. Our
fcriptures cannot fo groffly contradifl: them-
felves : they are wholly founded and fup-
ported on the authority of miracles : and
the religion they are calculated to eftablifli
has the fame foundation. How then can
it be poffible that thefe very fcriptures fhould
labour to deftroy it ?

Rouffeau, having aflerted that '' after prov-
*' ing the truth of the ,do6lrine by the mi-
*' racle wrought to confirm it, it would
** be neceflary to prove the truth of the
*' miracle, by that of the doftrine ; left the
** works of the devil fhould be miftaken for
*' thofe of the Lord ; *' adds, in a note upon
thefe words, that " this is expiefly mentioned
*' in many places in fcripture. " Now there is
nothing more eafy than to vent fuch vague al-
legations 5 In order to deceive unwary minds,
we may with a fingle Bourifli of a pen, give
authority to what is the m.oft oppofite to our
own apprehenfions, and the moft inconfift-
ent with truth : We would freely acquit

Roufleau

Chrijlian Religion vindicated, . 109

Roufleau of that variety of paffages he
buails of, for a fingle one, which fliould
exprefly fignify what he lias been pleafcd to
affirm. But all thofe we have already quoted
convinces us that he will fearch in vain for
what we alk of him. It is true he cites a
paffagc in Deuteronomy*, where it is fald.
That '' if a prophet, teaching the worfhip
" of falfe gods, fliall pretend to have dream-
*' ed a dream; and fliall, in confirmation of
*' his pretenfions, produce fome fign or won-
*' der ', and what he foretells comes really
'' to pafs : and he fliall afterwards fay^
*' come, let us follow flrange gods ; fo far
*' from paying any regard to him, the peo-
*' pie fliould flone him to death. "

But the queftlon here is not concerning
true miracles or prodigies, comparable
with thole that eftablifli the divinity of our
religion : for if the matter in hand had been
the working of true miracles, how could
God afterwards confent that he himfelf
would acknowledge the devils as gods, in
cafe they could forctel future and hidden
events, or do cither good or evil ? [\ Let

* Ch.ip. xiii.

your

Isg6 Tbe T R V T H of the

*^ your gods, faysh e, by his prophet Ifaiah ^^
*' come, and Jhew us what Jhall happe?i : let
*' them Jhew the former things what they be ;
*^ yea, Jhew us . the things that are to come
*' hereafter, that we may know that ye are
*^ ^^^^, and : becauje we woidd know that ye
* ' are gods, do good or evil if you can, that
*' we may be ajlojiijhed at your power, and
*^ behold its efe6ls together i "

Now, fince God himfelf promifes to own
the devils as gods, if they can but produce
true miracles ; might he not afterwards pro-
hibit his people from acknowledging them as
fuch, and worfhiping them, if they had been
fo inclined ? God— could, no more than man,
place in the number of gods thofe who were
not fo. The proofs of power, therefore,
which he demands of them muft certainly
furpafs their ability : and the queflion, upon
that^text of Deuteronomy, is only concerning
thofe vain delufions, which, by a falfe appear-
ance, might dazzle and impofe upon inatten-
tive minds ) and that fpecies of prodigy which
God makes it his glory to deftroy and con-
found, by the truth and folidity of his own,

* Ch. xliv% V. 2 2.

lam-

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. l()X

lam be, fays God by his prophet, thatjruf-
irateth the tokens of the liars^ and maketb
diviners mad, that tiirncth ivife men hack^
ward, and maketb their k?20ivledge foolifi^ .

In fliort, this very text which Rouffeau
cites for a contrary purpofe, fpcaks as clear-
ly ; and declares to us in exprefs terms, that
the pretended prophet fliould be confidered
only as an impoftor, as a cheat j-and, in a
word as a mere inventor or dreamer of
dreams. Ficlor Somniorwn, See Deut. xiii. 5.

St. Auftin, and others of our beft interpre-
ters, unite in applying thefe words in Deute-
ronomy to the falfe prodigies of foothfayers,
magicians and other people of that kind ; who,
notwithftanding with all the helps of their art
could never produce any thing which came
near to the extraordinary efFeds of the
divine power. Rouffeau therefore fliould
join with us in admitting a great difference
between the delufions of devils, — the vain
phantoms of idolatry, — and the miracles of
the Chrillian Religion-]-,

* Ifalah xliv. 25.

-f Sicut autem tH/icrnuntur ui u*:. .i„.it.., quat eon/equentir
prohibit i a prtdicthnibiu I'cl annuniiationibus prophet arum ;

Whenever

igz TheTRxytnof the

Whenever Roufleau is inclined to allow
authority to the facred fcriptures, let him
learn to read them otherwife than he has
done in this particular inftancc : let him
not read them as merely profane hiftories :
but, let him there fearch fincerely after
that truth, which his blind, yet haughty
reafon will never find of itfelf. With
thefe difpofitions let him examine our re-
ligion by the light of the facred books, as
much 2£ he will ; he will then find all his
weak objections vanifti and difappear j and,
forced to confefs the darknefs of his mind,
and the errors of his prefumptuous fagacity,
he will gladly imitate the many great men
who have gone before him, in an humble
fubmiffion to the objedts revealed ; and thus
render the Chriftian Religion an homage as
juftly merited as their's.

Heathens §. XII. It may be proper to remark the
able in ' conclufion, which our author deduces from
punifliinghjg premifes. *^ When the pagans therefore^,
ans. *^ put the apoftles to death for preaching
'' up to them the v/orfhip oi^ijirange Godi
*' proving their divine miffion by prophe-

Jic ilia itifpeSiiones prodigiorum a Jignifcationihus di<vinorum
miraculonim difcernenda funt, St, Aug. Lib. v. q^iieft. xxix,
in Deut.

*' cies

Chnjlian Religion vindicafed. 1 9 3

'^ cles and niiracles ; I fee not wh.itt could
*^ be fubllantially objedcd to their proceed-
** ing, wliich they might TiOt with equal ju-
" ilice have immediately retorted upon us/'

What a fatal blindncfs of heart doth this
fpeech difcover in it's author ! To call the Al-
mighty, the only true God, that very deity
wliofe glory and whofe name the idols
ufurped, a jlrange God I — To dare to ad-
vance, that, ivhcn the Pagans put the apojlles
to death ^ who pro^ocd their mijjion by predic-
tions and miracles \ he does not fee what
could be fubjl ant i ally objected agahijl them^
which they might not injlantly retort I v^'hat
difingenuity, or malice, or ignorance is tliis !
The Pagans, more enlightened and more
fincere than Roufleau, were very fenfible
they had nothing fubftantial to oppofe againft
fuch convincing arguments. Idolatry, con-
founded with the fplendor of them, beheld
all it's efforts rendered inefiedual againft fo
ftrong a barrier. But the infidel, whofc
inclinations better corrclpond with idolatry,
than with the ChriRian Religion, beholds
with a fecret fpite tlie latter, rifing upon the
tuins of the other; and would iiavc felt no
N concern

194 ^'^^ Truth of the

concern, had the heathens extermhiated every
Chriftvan.

Such indeed are the horrible confequen-
ces naturally refulting from thofe fldfe and
impious principles, which he has advanced
on the fcore of miracles. Had all mankind
been poffeffed in like manner w^ith Roulleau,
they mufl: have purfued the fame dangerous
condud:, as he here endeavours to chalk
out for our practice : and yet the condu6t
which he has himfelf adopted, invincibly
proves, that he has quite a different opinion
of the ftrength and authority of true mira-
cles. We cannot help thinking however,
that Rouffeau as a bare profeffor of Chrifli-
anity, at leaft, (hould blufli and be con-
founded at having advanced fuch principles,
as, from his own evidence, tend diredly to
eternife idolatry, and the worlliip of devils.

The faith and religious fubmiffion of the
univerfe to the miracles wrought by the
apoftles, are a glorious evidence in their fa-
vour ; an evidence, which will always unan-
fwerably prove, that they are in themfelves
an authority completely decilive ; and that

nothine:

Cbrl/lliin Rcllg.cu 'vhiMcatcd. 195

nothing could hz fub/icwti ally objedted ag.iinft
them. Indeed, what could be objected to
them ? Was it that miracles were not a cer-
tain proof of what the apoftles aflcrtcd, be-
caufe, as Roufll-au aihrms, the ^VivV could
perform the Hke ? — But would not the
common opinion and experience of all ages,
have contradicf^cd fuch a pretence ? Did not
the mofl enlightened Pagans prevent it, by-
owning before-hand, that their gods could
work no fuch miracles, as they then law
performed by the minidry of the apoRles ?
With how many teftimonies from the
moft Celebrated authors might I not con-
fute our intidel's argument P If in fliort,
the devil could imitate the miracles wrought
by the apoftles, why did he not then exer-
cife that power ? He never found himfelf
in circum fiances which more preffingly re-
quired it, or that were more proper, to ex-
cite his putting it in pradlife. Theextindti-
011 of his wordiip, the ruin of his empire,
and the very rapid progrefs of the gofpel,
were, furely, motives fully fuffilcient to call
forth his utmoft efforts for the obfcuring
the luftre of the apoftolic miracles, and
\vcakening their imprcflion. He did not
N 2 perform

iq6 t;&^ T r u t h 0/ the

perform any thing which might produce
this efftdi : his filence and inadion there-
fore, are a palpable mark of his debility and
impotence.

Roufieau does not fee what could be fuh^
Jlantially objected to the Pagans, Why ! have
not our apologifts an hundred times reduced
to nothing, whatever they were able to
urge in oppolition to the Chriftian Religi-
on ? Let Roufleau but read their glorious
apologies, and he will fee with what fuperi-
ority our religion triumphs over the frivolous
objedtions ftarted by the Pagans againft it. It
is fufficient, narrowly to obferve the condudt
of the Pagans towards thofe irreproachable
men, who were the glory and happinefs of
whole cities and ftates, and the unheard of
perfecutions, which they made them under-
go, in order to comprehend how far vio-
lence made up for the deficiency of good
and folid arguments againft them.

Human §. XIII. After having found fault with
weak,andthe condudl of the whole world; Roufleau
incapa- vv'ould uow willino;lv biino; round the adop-

bicalone, . 1 • 1 1 • , r 1 rr TT

of difco- tion ot that which he is plealed to oiFer. He
y5""^ ""^'Tcafons thus — *' Now what is to be done

IlgiOUS

truths. " in

<c

<€

ChriJ}{d?i ReligioJi vindicated, i()j

^^ in this cafe ? There is but one ftep to be
*' taken : to recur to Reafon, and leave mi-
'' racles to themfelves \ better indeed liad
" it been, never to have had recourfe to
*' them at all, nor to have perplexed good
^' fcnfe, with fuch a number of — very fuh^
'' tic dijlinElions to fay the beft of them. —
Wliat do I talk of ? Subtle dijHu^liom in
chrijlianity ! If there are any fuch, our
Saviour was in the wrong, furely, to
promife the kingdom of heaven to the
'* fin-iple • and to blefs the poor in Jpirit^
*' if it requires fo much ingenuity to com-
*' prehend and believe his doctrines ? "* So
then, we find, that it is good fenfe which dic-
tates our leaving miracles to themfelves ; and
recurrino: to reafon ! And therefore all thofe
who have followed the call of miracles, and
left the guidance of mere unenlightened rea-
fon for that purpofe, have not been led by
good fenfe in the purfuit. Thofe, on the
contrary, who, deipifing the authority of fo
many miracles, have perfevered in impiety and
irrcligion, and have perfecuted chriftians with
the utmoll rigor ; are they, who have lif-
tcned to good fenfe and found reafon. What;
excellent good fenfe and reafoning is this !

♦ Vol. iii. p. \\\. in the note.

N 7 Can

19S lhcTK\}Tn of the

Can a man make a better ufe of his rea-
fon, than by fubmitting himfelf to the au-
thority of Go J5, fpeaking to him by miracles ?
and, on the contrary, can he be guilty of a
greater abuie of, or aft in a manner more
oppofite to, true good fenfe, thi.n by leaving
miracles to themfelves in order to recur to
reafon ? Into what an abyfs may not fuch
a fyftem plunge him ?— What is become of
all thofe, who, like Rouffeau, have embra-
ced it ? Idolatry, irreligion and diforders of
every kind, have been the worthy fruits of
thek adherence.

Rouffeau is defirous of bringing all religion
back again to reafon. But was reafon able
to comprehend and penetrate v/hatever the
Deity has been pleafed to reveal to her ?
and could not God, therefore, reveal to his
creature that which his feeble reafon midit
be unable to comprehend ? Where is that
lium'an reafon which can comorehend the
exigence of one God in three perfons of the
fame nature and fubilance ? By, the aids of
what reafon could it be difcovered that a
Gop became man, and expired upon a crof^,

in

Chri/iian Religion v:?iii!cate/l, 199

-jn the fame manner, as if he were one of
the worll of nialefadlors, in order to expiate
an offence committed four thoufand years be-
fore? where is tlie man, who, by tlie fole light
of his reafon, couid gain intelhgence of the
ftate of mankind ; of the fall j of the iiicom-
prehenfiblc effeds of original fin , of the need
of a Redeemer; of the refurredion of the
dead, and of eteinal happinefsand mifery p —
We may judge what our reafon is capable of,
by the vain efforts God permitted it to ufe,
before the fending his ow^n Son to enlighten
and inftrud it. He was willing, ihat a fad and
long experience fliould demonllrate it's dark-
nefs and impotence : — Thus, into how many
miftakes and errors, did thofe men fall, who
paffed for the moil enlightened ! what
divifions amongfl: philofophers concerning
the happinefs and defignation of man ! Into
how many different feds were they not di-
vided upon the mofi: important points! — They
were never able to comprehend or reconcile
that fund of greatnefs and excellence, which
man bore within him ; with thofe bafe and
irrccrular fentiments, which uniied in his foul ;
as \vc have llicwn in a former dillertiition.

N 4 It

20O ^he Truth of the

In vain, therefore, O man ! do ycu feck
within yourlelf, for the remedy of your
miferies : all your intelligence can only ferv^
to inform you, that not in youifelf, can
you find either truth or happinefs. The phi-
lofophers have promifed you them, as
Rouffeau has done, and yet have been un-
able to procure them for you. They nei-
ther knew what is your true happinefs nor
your real ftate. How fliould they have
2;iven you remedies for your miferies, feeing
they did not even know what thofe mife-
ries were ? Your principal maladies are>
that Pride, which alienates you from your
God, and that Concupifcence which attaches
you to earthly gratifications : Now, thofe fa-
gacious preceptors have fcrved no other pur-
pofe than that of augm^enting and indulging
them. If they reprefented God as your objcd:,
it was but to exercife your pride, while they
would lead you to think yourfclf like him
in your nature. Thofe, on the contrary,
vyho perceived the folly of this delign,
threw you from the oppofite precipice, by
eiving you to undcrftand that your nature
refembkd chat of the hearts which perifh -,
ai.d by iridacing you to fcarch after your

happinefs

Ckriftian Religion vindicated. 201

happinefs, in the indulgence of thofe fenfual
appetites, of which the brute animals equally
partake. See then, in this inrtance, whither rea-
fon, left to itfelf, would have concluded you.
It is owing therefore to the moft deplorable
want of difcernment, that Rouffeau would
recall you to a dependence upon it, and
make faith and revelation fubjedl to it*s con-
troul. The beft ufe we can make of our
reafon, is by humbly fubmitting it to both
thefe ; and acknowledging that there is an
inpjMte number of things, which furpafs it's
comprehenfion.

Faith is the only means whereby to make
up for the deficiency of our reafon : It is her
merit to be ignorant of that which yet (he
believes, and to hope for that which fhe
doth not know. There is nothing more
great and noble than fuch a faith : It is
God alone on whom fhe relies -, and it is
upon his teftimony, (liC refigns herfelf to his
difpoful, and fubmits to his determinations.
71ic more fuperior to reafon things revealed
appear, and the more difricult they are to
be conceived, i'o n^uch the more doth flie
acknowledge the ir.fcrutable excellence of

that

io2 T/je Truth of fbe

that Infinite Being whom flie adores : and
that obfcurity whicli excites her aftonifli-
ment is to her a proof of veracity.

The greateft advantage man can have
received, and which places him in the beft
fituation to render his creator a duty and
homage worthy of him, is, " that, faperior,
*' as the Deity is, to his underftanding -, yet
" he is not fuperior to his belief; and that
** he can place a kind of equality between
** the incomprehenfible majefly of God,
" and an iilimiiable Faith".^

It is true, God does not exped we,
ihould fubmit our faith to him, without
the concurrence of reafon ; nor that we
fhouid compulfively become fubjed: to
v/hat he is pleafcd to propofc. But then
too he does not mean to give us the reafon
of every thing : he only propofes to give
us certain and convincing tokens that it is
him v/ho fpcaks to us, in order to procure,
by means of fuch miracles and proofs as
we may not rcjecl, a decifive influence to
v/h:\t he fays, and to thofe whom he fends
to us. But he afterwards and reafonably re-
quires

Chrijilan Religion vindicated. 203

quires wc fliould believe without hefitation
the ihiiigs wliich he declares to us ; efpecially
when we find no other motive for rejecting
them, but that we cannot of ourfelves be
certain whether they are or arc not fuch as
they are reprefented.

§. XIV. Where are thokfuitikies, with The fim-
which RoufTeau reproaches us ? — Was there faith/
ever any thing more fimple, and more
witliin the reach of every underftanding,
than the manner in which our Rchoijn in-
culcates the fubHmetl: truths ? God fpeaks :
the miracles he performs clearly prove his
identity ; and the ignorant as well as the
learned have nothing more to do than to be-
lieve what he hath told them, with an
humble docility : this is briefly the fum of
our religion ; was there ever a more fliort
or more eafy method ? — Faith is fo analogous
to tlic mod: fmiple, that fmiplicity itfelf
conllitutes the faireft part of her character.
God does not call us to eternal life by
means of fubde and dilHcult propofuions,
but through faith, which opens to all a rcudy
and an eafy entrance *.

• In fimplicUate JiJts rj}^ infdejujlitia fji, in confjjione pittas
fji. Non ptr aificilei tics Dtus ai bcaiam 'Vitam qufjl tones 'vocut
— in abjduio nobisy ac fault fjt ttcmitas. S. Hilar, lib. ii. «Je
'i'rinlt.

To

204 The Tkxjtk of the

To believe is an aft fuited to every ftate
and condition of life : but to reafoUy fuits
but with a few perfons. If then through
the means of reafon, as Roufleau fuggefls,
God fliould call mankind to the inheritance
of his promifes ; the fimple in that cafe
would undoubtedly have caufe to complain ;
and might fay to God ; *' In vain, O Lord,
** haft thou promifed us the kingdom of
*' heaven : It cannot fuit our narrow un-
*' derftandings ; and it requires too much
" ingenuity and fkill in argument for us
«' ever to be able to attain it. "

We apprehend, that what we have hi-
therto faid has fufficiently fliewn his continual
deficiencies in found argument, who ven-
tures to compare his blind and feeble reafon,
with that of the Almighty: ''Indeed, werea-
*' dily repeat after the celebrated Pafchal, it is
'' glorious for religion, to have men fo un-
*' reafonable for it's enemies. Their oppo-
*' fitions, are attended with fo little hazard
** to that religion, that they only ferve,
'* on the contrary, to eftablifli the principal

truths

ChrlJ}ta?i Religion vindicated. I05

*' truths it tenches. For the chriftian faith
'* ertabliflies theic two things chicHy, I'he
** corruption of nature^ aiid the Redemp-
'' tion by Jesus Christ: Now, if thefe
*^ men do not ferve to evidence the truth
'* of the Redemption by the fandlity of their
'' manners, they ferve at lead admirably to
*' dcmonflrate the corruption of nature by
*' fentiments fo unnatural as thofe they
** are hardy enough to advance. "

^. XV. We have already fliewn how^^^^o"

lea'ls to a

iuft and reafonable it was to fubmit to the belief in
authority of the miracles wrought by the"^^^^^^"'
apoftles : we have feen that, to fubmit our-
fclvcs to them, it was fufficient to confult
the natural idea engraven upon the hearts of
all men, and then to be faithful, and adl con-
fiftcntly with that idea. This was what
the Pagans did, and it itiade Chriftians
of them. We will take notice in the fe-
quel, what force the prophecies added to a
proof already fo incontrovertible.

Does it become RoufTeau to fay, *^ now
'' what is to be done in tiiis cafe ? There is
*' but one fl:ep to be taken -, namely, to

** recur

2o6 The T K V T Yi cf the

*^ recur to reafon, and leave miracles to
*' themfelves ? " — Does not reafon it-
felf lead us to fabmit to the authority of
miracles ? Does it not fuggeft to us, that
they are the voice of God ; the language
which he makes ufe of to fignify his behefls
to mankind, and which cannot be rejedled,
without combating the Deity himfelf ? — Are
not miracles an infinitely furer method of
information, than any arguments whatever,
which often by their illufions and fpecious
appearances, deceive and lead us wrong ?
But true miracles, as we have demonftrated,
being the teftimony of God himfelf; the
credentials which he gives his meffengers ;
and God being unable to deceive us, his
miracles, therefore, cannot lead us into error,

Rouffeau informs us, " that we fhould
*' always conduct ourfelves, and be de-
*' termined, by the clear eft intelligence. "
Now the intelligence which miracles com-
municate is fuperior to that of reafon,
fincc it is divine. It is confident therefore
with reafon to diveft itfelf of all arguments,
and to.fubmit to the authority of miracles.
This is that trueft good fenfe, which the

'infidel

Cbrtjlian Religion 'vindicated, 207

infidel does but obicure and perplex, by valii
fophiflry, and fubtlc diftindlions : It is
only (as we Ihall proceed to flievv) by ob-
fcrving the natural intelligence of lenfe,
that Roufleau can polTibly perfaade man-
kind, that it would be better 7iever to have
recourje to miracles.

Inftead of wandering into a courfe of
vain argumentation, inllead of giving our-
felves up to the guidance of a reafon which
fo often impofcs upon us ; the matter in
queftion here is only to examine into cer-
tain ficls, upon which all men have in-
fallible principles, to enable them to judge.
The proof of miracles comes into this or-
der of fads, and therefore is capable of
certainty and full evidence. Reafon and
good fenfe impel us to give oar affcnt to
them 5 and this proof fo well confirms itfelf,
that it mufl: be fuffic^cnt to convince every
reafonable mind, and make the unbeliever
fenfible, that all his arguments have hitherto
deceived him, though he could not difcover
their deficiency.

While

2o8 ^he Truth of the

While Roufleau only feeks to put every
thing in diforder by his frivolous diftinftions,
let him alone bear the blame of them :
But he pretends moreover to lay them to
the charge of Chriftianity. He has faid that
to leave miracles, in order to recur to reafon,
is confiftent with the ftrid:eft good fenfe,
which could not be obfcured but by the power
of fubtle diftindlions. He afterwards exclaims,
" what do I talk of — fubtle diftinBions
" in chriftianity ! If there are any fuch,
'^ Jesus Christ was in the wrong
** furely to promife the kingdom of hea-
** ven to the weak and fimple. How came
" he to begin his finefl: difcourfe with
'* blefling the poor in fpirit^ if it requires
** fo much ingenuity to comprehend and
** believe his doftrines ? When you have
" proved that I ought to fubmit my rea-
" fon to his didlates, I fl:iall grant it is
** all very well : but in order to prove
*' that, you muft render them intelligible
" to my underftanding : you muft adapt
'* your arguments to the capacity of one
'' poor in fpirit -, or I fliall no longer ac-
** knowledge you to be the true difciple of

** your

Ch}'ijlian Religion v'mdicaled. 209

*^ your mailer, or think it his dodrinc which
'' you would inculcate. *' The cunning
malice of RoufTeau is here very evident.
He endeavours to make Jfsus Christ
contraditft himfelf, as having promifed that
to the fmiple, which the means, he af-
fords them, cannot enable them to pro-
cure.

Now it is precifely becaufe there is no
fubtilty in chriftianity, and that the fimple
/liould enjoy a portion of the promlfes made
by Jesus Christ, that it becomes necef-
/Iiry, for them to leave reafon to itfelf, and
recur to miracles. By this method God
truly places himfelf wldiin the comprehen-
fion of every underftanding, adapts his
arguments to the capacity of the poor ia
fpirit, and acquits himfelf of the promifes
he hath made ihem. The fimple one,
the poor in fpirit, is, by thefe means, put
upon a level with the learned and inge-
nious man. The Chriflian Religion being
eiiabllfhed upon fenfible and palpable
proofs, every one is able without pains or
labour to recognize it by thofe illuftrious
fcarures, which characftcrife it. Such an

O examination

2IO 7/jeTRvru of the

examination requires only an heart vvhicli
learches after truth with fincerity. But
how could Jesus have promifed the king-
dom of heaven to the fimple, if it became
raccefiary for them to relinquifli miracles,
and return to reafon ? The fimple would
then have had caufe to fay to him, " bring
" your dodrines down to my comprehen-
*' fion : adapt your arguments to the capa-
'*■ city of one, who is poor in fpirit. You
" would have m.e to exaniine your doc-
*' trine by the aids of reafon. Is this that
*' ready and eafy way, by which you have
*' promifed to lead me to falvation ? ''
Here the Chril1:ian Religion iliines, with a
peculiar luflre : it is here that (lie excites
admiration at the wifdom of her oeconomy ;
and her juft correfpondence to our nature,
by confounding the temerity of the unbe-
liever.

The Chriftian Relio^^ion flioutd be com-
mon and level to every mind, none ought
to be excluded from it's regard. That Re-
ligion which propofes fuch means, as can
at beft fuit biu a few, cannot be the true
Keligion -, it is unworthy of God, becaufe

it

Cbrrflian Religion vindicated, 211

it bears not the charadtcr of goodncfs and
vvifdom : runv a Religion founded merely
on reafon, and requiring long diicudjons,
could not be comprehended by the ignorant
and the fimple.

What refources indeed could thefe fimple
and ignorant ones apply to, if they had no
other o;uide than reafon to conduct them ta
falvation ? could they find within them-
fclves, wherewith to elevate and raife their
minds to the contemplation of divine truths ?
Could they, alone, open to themfelves a
path whereby to march fccurely in fo dif-
he'jlt and toilfome a courfe ? What is to
become of the artificer, who beholds only
the work of his own hands : of the labour-
er, who can hardly read : of the fick man,
whom the burden of his difeafe renders
unable to meditate, reflect, and examine ?
What fliall become of fo many men whom
the diftradtion of a thoufand worldly avo-
cations, and neceflities, almofl whoHy oc-
cupies ? How could thefe find the necef^
la ry time for difcufilng all the points of
Religion ? Of what reafoning, will thofc
manv narrow and limited minds be capable,
O 2 who

2 : 2 The Truth of the

vvho can fcarcely apprehend the moft eafy
things ? If the reafon of every individual
iiiufl: be the fole judge in matters of Reli-
gion, well might a man exclaim : " adieu
*' to trades, to arts, to human fciences, and
'' every civil occupation. There can no
*' longer be any other ftudy than that of
** religion. Even he v^ho fliall have en-
*' joyed the moft robuft health, beft em-
** ployed his time, made the utmoft ufe
*' of his reafon, and lived the longeft, will
" not without great difficulty be able, in his
" old age, to know on what conclufion to
*' fix his mind : and it will be a great
** point gained, if he learns before his death,
*' in what mode of worfhip he ought to
" have lived. "

What fliall we do then with all thofe
children of fimplicity, with thofe many per-
fons, who are utterly incapable of ftudy,
or the making of deep refearchcs ? Have
not they as much right to the benefits of
religion, as the learned and the ingenious?
Mrift they be excluded from them, becaufe
thev are born, with lefs ftrength of under-
ftanding, becaufe they are lefs penetrating,

and

Chrijiian Religion vindicated, 213

deprived of the ncceflary means of culti-
vation ? Mil ft tlicy be abandoned to their
ignorance and incapacity ? Would i: not be
well worthy of the goodncfs of God, to
recompence them, by furniOiing them with
means proper to fupply their feeolenefs and
inability ? But what is now to become of
them ? Shall it be to rely on that held forth
by the reafon of others, which their own
doth not afford them ? If fjch is the me-
thod adopted by providence with regard to
the ignorant j reafon from thePiCeforth finds
lierfelf brought round to autliority, and af-
ter having rejecfted an authority fo lawful
as that of revelation, fo well founded, and
fo proportionate to every capacity ; the au-
thority of fome particular tutors will be
fubftituted in it's ftead : Tutors who ]ike
Rouffeau, with refpedl to his EmiliuSj wiJI
fancy thcmfelves in the right to fubjecfl the
reafon of their pupils to their own ; a re-
iburce more fatal and dangerous, than tlie
evil it would remedy : by means whereof
the weak and fimple would quickly become
the helplefs vidlims of a foreign and vain-
glorious reafon : and, being forced to give
themlelves biinlly up to the faint glimmer-
O 3 H^

2 14 ^'^^ Truth of the

ings of a reafon (o often falfe and deceitful,
into how many deviations and errors would
they not be precipitated ? Incapable of dif-
cerning by themfelves truth from falfhood,
they could only form their judgment on
that of others, with equal indifcrimination
adopting error and truths and, in a word,
becoming the perpetual fport of the incon-
ftancy and levity of human reafon.

Amidfl the chaos and confufion of fo
many ideas and opinions, thus various and
incompatible, how could they even deter-
' mine to believe any thing ? Not being in a

condition to weigh and judge of the folidity
of thofw reafolis, v/hich fupport every dif-
ferent opinion ; how, or Vv^hy fiiould they
rather embrace one than another ? Would
th^y not be in the right to difirufl: all alike ?
The beft ufe then which they could make
of their reafon, would be, to believe no-
thing ', but to reft in a horrid uncertainty
upon the moft effential and important points.

Behold, whither the fearful temerity of
the unbeliever neceiTarily tends ! — the
wretched condition to which it reduccb^

three-fourths

Chrijlian Rdigion vindicated, 2 i 5

tlirec- fourths of mankind j into what ei:-
<:^k, were it to be followed, would it not
conduct even thofe who moll: highly vaunt
of their reafon and underftanding ! how
blind would they be, who lliould imagine,
with Rouffeau, that reafon alone is llililci-
£nt to enable them to penetrate into, and to
comprehend, the fublimeft objefls to which
man is appointed : whatever the greatnefs
and elevation of their nunds may be, unlefs
the deity aid and enlighten them ; they v/ill
never do other than grovel. Cujiijhiodi libct
excellent ingenio^ nijl Dcus adfit humi repunt,
St^Augiifv. We have already fhewn this, from
the experience of four thoufand years pad in
wandering and error, which methinksfliould
convince man of the infufiicicncy of his
reafon. In what light, ought .we then to
look upon the infidel who would ftiil bring
us back to the guidance of reafon ? His fair
promifes may flatter our pride ; but woe
be to thofe, who, without knowing their
infirmity, and without confiilting their
weaknefs ; foolifhly give themfrivcs -iip to
the fpeeches of fuch deceitful guides. They
.offer us a remedy for our evils, a deadly

poifon,

2i6 T^he Truth of the

polfon, which is only calculated to augment
them, and render them almoll incurable.

But what wifdom doth the Chriftian Re-
ligion difplay, in oppofitlon to the folly "of
infidelity ! what an admirable proportion in
all it's parts, to the condition and neceffities
of all it's followers in general, and of every
one in particular ! It excludes no one : but
affords to all a fliort and eafy path, whereby
to attain an entire knowledge of the truths
which it profeffes. In concert with it's Lord
and Mafter Jesus Christ, it calls the
young as well as^the old ; neither excepting
artifans or labourers ; all who defire to
quench their thirft at the fountain of falva-
tion 'y how ignorant foever they may be ;
however occupied in the bufinefles of life ;
however weak or infirm, through age, or
fex, or maladies — All, without exception,
are received and admitted into it's bofom !
It procures for all the means fufficient to their
inftrudion in the great truths of falvation,
in which refped: it knows no diftindtion be-
tween the noble and mean man, the poor
and the rich, the fian-^le and the learned :
'' Come unto me, fays Christ it's divine
*' chief, Come unto me, all ye ^who ai-^e ^weary

i^ and

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. 217

'« and heavy laden : come, all yc who thirfl
*' after rigbteoufnefs, and I will allay your
'' thirj}'' And behold how Jcsas Christ
cxecuteth this great promile !

§. XVI. There is nothing more proper Miracles
to attradt the regard of mankind, than the ^^^ P'°'
authority and power of miracles : of this
we have already given convincing proofs.
There is nothing alfo more within the reach
of the fimple, and leall intelligent capaci-
ties, than that which falls under cognizance
of the fenfes, and which needs no other
than this plain examination, in order to be
believed : — thofe miracles which have the
benelit and comfort of their fpedlators for
their objcd:, are flill more fitly adapted to
gain their minds and hearts. From admira-
tion they proceed to acknowledgment ; and
from grateful acknowledgment to the ten-
derell: and mod lively affcclion. Upon prin-
ciples thus natural, doth Jesus Christ re-
gulate his condud. No fooner doth he be-
gin to manifeft himfelf to mankind, than he
fills every place through which he pafles
with marks of his power and benevolence ;
every day works new miracles, and performs
new cures, each more afioniihing than the

other.

2iS The T K V T n of the •

other. Thus eternal Wifdoni drew to it
wandering fouls, in order to enlighten and
to teach them ; and in confequence of it's
attraftion, the crowding multitude flock to-
gether: but the moment for fixing conflantly
their hearts was not yet come 5 it was pre-
vioufly neceffary that the Saviour of the
world fhould be raifed upon the crofs.

After his refurredion he fends his apoftles
throughout the whole world ; they repeat
all the miracles of their Mafter, and con-
firm whatever they fay by the authority of
fimilar prodigies; what they are feen to per-
form, is a fure warrant of what they declare,
concerning the adions, dcftrineS;, and perfoa
of Jesus Christ.

They are every where heard with atten-
tion ; they are followed from all parts ; and
the religion, faith, and tenets, which they
preach, are every where embraced.

By fuch means as thefe did Jesus Christ
build up his church. The miracles of every
kind which he and his apoftles wrought,
gained him all neceffary authority ; this au-
thority, thus confirmed, defcrved from every
one a full belief of whatever he had faid, or

fhould

Chrijllafi Religion lindicateJ/ 219

rt-iould advance. This faith has aflemblcd,
and unired, in one rehgioiis body, a multi-
tude of people ', by means of this multitude
he hath procured to his religion an antiquity
and force which render it fuperior and in-
vincible to all the darts of error and infide-
\ky ; — by this numerous and refpeclable
aflembly, he hath provided his church with
the moft eminent authority in the world ;
an authority which includes all human fanc-
tion, with the divine. The influence, the
extent, perpetuity and fplcndor of fo great a
fociety, enfures to it every defireable humaa
authority. The promifes made by Jesqs
Christ in it's favour, which are founded
upon the miracles wrought in confirmation of
it,eftablini the divine authority it hath deriv-
ed. By the ;f;y? authority, it warrants to us the
certainty of all thofe fadls, which conftitutc
it's dhtJie authority ; and all thefe fads, in
their turn, warrant to us the truth of that
infallible authority, which is promifed to and
afTumed by it.

Jesus CiiRrsx hath moreover furnilhcd
his church with abundance of proofs, and
prevailing arguments, by means of the mi-
nlftry of thofe mar>y celebrated men, whom

it

220 Tie Truth of the

it hath received into it's bofom, diftinguifhed
for their learning and piety. Thus the high-
eft authority, and every proof, derivative
from reafon, are united in this fociety, for
the enHghtening and direding of mankind.
In this fortrefs of truth, this citadel of autho-
rity, the fimple are fafe. In this 'afylum,
the weak and humble are fheltered and for-
tified, as in a neft, before their wings are
grown whereon to elevate their fouls to the
knovvdedge of the myftery of faith* After
they have found a refuge there, all the pow-
ers of reafon are employed in their defence,
againft fuch men as have the temerity to ar-
raign their condud:, and to decry it as con-
trary to the light of reafon.

Was ever any thing better proportioned
to every mind than fuch a method ? It de-
livers them from thofe long difcuffions, and
that toilfome labour, of which they would
otherwife have ftood in need ^ but of which,
neverthelefs, hardly any one is capable. It
fupplies the weaknefs of our underftandings,
and prevents their errors ; by furniiliing us
with a fure light for our guidance amidft
cur natural obfcurity. This is the fhcrteft
paih, but it includes all others. Without

this

Chrijlian Religion rjindlcated,
this affiftance mankind would never have
been able to attain the knowledge of heavenly
truths : without this firm and folid rule of
gradation, they could never have been en-
abled to afcend up to the Deity.

The darknefs and indifHciency of our
reafon, therefore, neceffarily leads us into
the way of this authority ; for every man,
who cannot of himfelf comprehend, and
know the truths ellential for him to under-
ftand, ought, by all means, to have recourfe
to an authority which may fupply his natural
impotence. In this fituation, the beft ufe
lie can make of his reafon is, evidently,
to fubmit it to the higheft authority in
the world, and which hath every mark
of divine alhftance and protedlion. Can
any thing be more wife and prudent than
fuch a condudl ? It is confiftent with the
light which reafon affords; fince it only
fubmits that reafon to a teftimony which
poffeffcth every characler of truth, capable
of deferving an entire confidence.

At the fame time nothing is more pro-
perly adapted to intille it to this confidence,
and to influence all hearts in it's favour, than

the

221

"Ziz The Truth of the

the manner wherein it propofes to inArucr
thofc who addrefs themfelves to it's protec-
tion. All other perfuafions raife a ^^reat
clamour about realbn, and promife every
thing from it's affiftance ; yet they only lead
into inextricable difficulties and doubts. But
this fociety, on the contrary, doth not pre-
tend to deliver men from .their darknefs and
errors, by prefcribing to them a philofophi-
cal difquifition of the truths which it recom-
mends : it only requires faith i» truths which
it commands to be believed, after having it-
felf received and adopted them : thus, for
the inftrudion of it*s members, it exercifes
an everliving teftimony, which prevents their
deviation into vain arguments, and is alone
capable of uniting them rationally to the
fame religious body. In this fituation, the
Ignorant are content to know thofe truths
which the church prefents to them as fuch,
and to be brought up in the faith of them.
Thofe to whom God hath imparted more
underftanding, and better means of intelli-
gence, apply themfelves to the meditation of
thofe truths, without departing from a jufl
fubmiffion, which ferves them as a guide
and lanthern, in their inquiry. This ftudy
renders them more and more fenfible of the

neceffitv

Chrijlian Rel!g:o?i vindicated. 223

ncccfTity of that path they have taken. Their
humble dcfererxe is rewarded with an in-
creafc of hght, which changes their feeble
intelligence, and docible fubmiflion, into pcr-
fed: knowledge.

§. XVII. It may be proper to obferve, howOfautho-
Rouflcau, ever inconfiftent, eftablifhes thcof^that"
neceflity of fome authority to reeulate the^f ^\^.

- 1 • 1 • r • • church m

conduct ot mankind in matters of religion, particu-
Wc fliall be aftoniflied at the prodigious^"*
contradiftions to which the fpirit of caprice
leads, and conftrains him. He declares in
various places, that he would gladly fet all
authority afide, and he ufed every effort to
combat and overthrow it.

Firft, let us hear how he declaims againft
it in p. 139. of his third volume : *' Would
'^ we feek the truth, therefore, fays he, in
'* fincerity, we muft lay no ftrefs on the
•' place or circumftance of our birth, nor
** on the authority of fathers and teachers ;
•* but appeal to the dictates of reafon and
*' confcience, concerning every thing that
** is taught us in our youth. It is to no
** purpofe to bid me fubjedt my reafon to
*' the truth of things of which it is inca-

y pacitated

224. "^h^ T K V r w of the

" pacitated to judge; the man who would
** impofe upon me a falfliood may bid me
" do the fame. It is neceffary, therefore, I
*' fhould employ my reafon, even to know
*' when I ought to fubmit.'*

No one can {hew a more exprefs contempt
of authority, or more openly diffuade men
from paying any regard to it. But behold
the propofition reverfed !

"As the conduct of a woman, faysRouffeau
** (vol. vi. p. 77 5 7 8.) isfubfervienttothe pub-
" lie opinion, her faith in matters of religion
<^ {hould, for that very reafon, be fubjeft
** to authority. Every daughter ought to
** be of the fame religion as her mother ;
*' and every wife to be of the religion of her
" hufband. For though fuch religion fhould
** be falfe, that docility which induces the
'' mother and daughter to fubmit to the or-
** der of nature, takes away, in the fight of
*' God, the criminality of their error. As
" they are not in a capacity to judge for
*' themfelves, they ought to abide by the
" decifion of their fathers and hufbands, as
*' confidently as by that of the church. —
** As authority ought to regulate the reli-

" gion

Clrijlian Religion rjinciicated.
*' gion of women, it is not io needful to
*' explain to them the rerJons for their be-
*' lief, as to lav down prccilcly the tenets
'' they are to' believe."

Surely no body can more flatly contradl^fl
himfelf than Rouflcau, in thcle two paCages.
In the former of which, every kind of au-
thority is rejc6led, and all religion is refolved
into reafon. In the fecond, on the contrary,
he calls brxk to authority all thofe who are
not in a capacity of judging for themlelves in
matters of religion : Without doubt he had
perceived how abfurd it was in him to think
of leading all mankind to religion, by the
way of reafon. He cannot, however, fubmit
thofe to authority, who are incapable of judg-
ing for themfelvcs of religious matters ; but
he mufl: fubmit, at the fame time, every man
to that authority : For the learned, and per-
fons capable of reafoning, pafs through the
condition of ignorant perfons ; and b^-fcrc
their arrival at that fl.itc, v/hcrein they ac-
quired inftrudlion and knowledge, a long in-
terval elapfed, during which they could not
judge for themfelvcs. It is necellary, there-
fore, for them to be fubjcdled at that period
P to

226 The Truth of the

to authority > and when they attained an
age wherein they were capable of judging
and examining -, the fame method of au-
thority was no lefs neceifary for them, be-
caufe no man can, of himfelf, judge with
certainty, of the points of religion.

We have before fufficiently demon ftrated,
as well from experience, as from the ac-
knowledgments of RouiTeau, that the hu-
man mind, left to itfelf, is but an afiemblage
of uncertainties, obfcurity, and contradidions;
that the method of reference to authority, is
the only one proportioned to the condition
of mankind in every refpe(fl, as it fupplies
the weaknefs of the fimple, by preventing
their being defpondent, under inability ; and
as it prevents thofe who fancy themfelves
ftrong, and capable of walking by them-
felves, from becoming a fatal example to
others, and from prejudicing themfelves by
an audacious prefumption. Ut neqiie tile
dcfperatiGJie frangatiir^ neqiie ijle precipite^
tur aiidacid, Auguft.

From whence has Rouffeau gathered,
"That every daughter ought to be of the reli-
gton of her mother^ and every "wife of that of

her

Chriflicin Religion vindicated, 227

her buJhiiTjci? On what grounds docs he ven-
ture to allure us. That though fuch religion
fl?ould prove falfc^ the docility "which induces
the mot her tojubmit to the pretended order of
nature^ tiikes avcny in the fight of God ^ the
fiufulnefs of their error ? Where is this or-
der of nature^ which requires the daughter
to fubmit to the religion of her mother, and
the wile to that of her hufl\ind ? Is this
order of nature, then, contrary to another
order of nature ? Now there is an order of
nature, as we Avail prove toRoufieau, which
commands us to follow the true religion,
and to fubmit ourfclves to that alone. It is
an order of nature never to confent or ac-
quiefce in an errcr or falihood, and to wor-
lliip God only in truth. Nature teaches us
that falfl^iood cannot plcafc God, and that
he being efiential truth, we cannot honour
him fo much as by adhering to the truth.

But Rouffeau, in hij ufual manner, en-
deavours to confound every thing ; and be-
caufc, by the law of nature, a daughter
riiould be fubmiffive to her mother, and a
wife to h.er hufcand, in whatever relates to
dzmcjlic affairs ; and even in whatfoevcr is
not repugnant to the law of God : Thcre-
P 2 fore

23 T:he T R u t h y^ the

fore he concludes, that this fubmiiTion fliould
alio extend itfelf to matters of a religious
nature. But, is it not, above all, a fixed
order of nature, that every one (hould be
fubject to God, and his lav/s ? From this firfl
order ail oihers are derived, and all are fub-
ordinate to it. If then a father, or a huf-
band, require things which are contrary to
what God injoins and prefcribes us, will it
be to follow the order of nature to obey
them ? — Will it be piety and religion, to
make the Deity fubfervient to man , to offer
np that obedience which is his due, to the
ideas and caprice of thofe who may have
authority over us? To what impiety, to what
an height of p^'ofiigacy might not fuch a
kind of religion introduce mankind ? Idola-
try, and the mcfl: abominable modes of wor-
iliip, would be the natural confequences of
fuch a conduct. Every thing would be put
into the moft horrible confufion ; and the
world would be filled with as many different
religions, as there fiiould be families, princi-
pals, or mafters. Such are the very foolifli
and impious means to which the infidel i^
obliged to have recourfe, in order to combat
ihie true religion 3 means which we fhall

take

Ojrijiian Religion vindicated, 229

take occafion to refate more fally in the fe-
qutl of thcfe diflcrtations. And now let iis alk
our reader's opinion, whether it might not
be better for Rouffeau, to fleep wholly at
his cafe, than thus to wake himfelf, only
to utter fuch fcnfelefs and incongruous
dreams ? —

Let us here, for a moment, confider
Rouffeau's weak and whimfical felf-con-
tradi(fl!on. At firft, the man will admit of
no authority at i\\\ but ufes every effort to
reduce all religion into arcrumentation \ and
employs every poflible artifice to deftroy, as
far as in him lies, the authoriry of faith ;
and yet, prefently af:er, this very perfon,
carrying on his abfurdity even to the admit-
ting the authority of all religions ; and pre-
tending that *' we muil refped: them all as io
" many falutary inftitutions, which, in every
" country, prefcribe an uniform manner of
" honouring GoD, bv a public wordiip * :*'
Adds, *' I believe them all good : — I cdu-
" ceive, that to folicit any one to quit the
*' religion he is brought up in, is to folicit
" hi:n to do wrong, and is of confequence
" to do wrong one's felf; let us therefore

• Sec vol. iii. p. 184-

P 3 ** prefer vc

Tie Truth cf the
'^ preferve the public peace, and wait the
** progrels of further information. The
*^ laws in every country ihould be refpecl-
*' ed. We ihould never difturb the efta-
*' blilhed worlliip, nor excite the people to
" difobedience. For we know not abfo-
" lutely whether it be better for them to
'* change their prefent opinions for others ;
" and we do know of a certainty that it is
*^ an evil to tranfsrefs the laws/*

'&•

Had RoulTeau, in the lead degree, fol-
lowed thefe rules and principles, what could
have caufed him to inveigh fo furioufly and
daringly again ft thofe injlitutiom of the Chri-
fiian Religion, which alone are truly fahi-
tary ? We have already remarked, that no
body, in the common method of proceeding,
endeavours to deftroy the lawful authority
cf the Chriftian Religion, but to fubilitute
others in it's flead, as falfe as extravagant.
In the prefent inftance Roufleau fupplies us
with a deplorable example of this truth ;
whom folly and impiety excite to pay a
deference, even to the mofl monflrous and
unworthy modes of human woriliip ; while
he teitiiies nothijig bat horror and contempt

for

Chrijlian Rdtgion vmdtcateJ, -23*

for the relpedtible authority of the Chrillian
Church and Rehgion ! Fatal, though juft
bllndnef?, of a mind which refufes the con-
viiftion farrounding him on even*^ l:de ! Ter-
rible, but I'alutary example of the perils thofe
men fubiecl: themfelvcs to, and the errors
into which they fall, who will needs con-
duct themfelves by the fole light of reafon !

We, who adhere to the doclrines of the
church, do not, witli the infidel?, confider
that church, primarily, as a divine fociety
which God hath eftablilhed to decide the
matters of religion ; we look upon it only
as a capital human fociety, which hath long
fubfilted without interruption : This fociet\',
thus ancient and extenfive, and tlius well in-
ilrucled in thofe maners wliich refpect it,
we call upon in teflimony of the facts which
fall under it*s cognizance, and of the titles
and records which eltablilh it, and form it's
confiitution.

Thus, fimply confidered, the church hath
no fupcrnatural privilege ; it h.uh that au-
thority only which all private perfons have
to afcertain the truth of things which have

occurred

232 7le Truth of the

occurred amongft them, and the memory of
which has, from age to age, been preferved
down to the prefent times. In this manner
the church, fubfiiling from the time of the
apofties, attefts that the f.riptures, whofe
repofitary it is, are as anciept as itfelf. It
affures us that thefe books have really for
their authors thofe perfons whofe names they
bearj thac thefe auihors either faw the things
they have related, or v/ere perfectly well in-
formed of them by eye witnelTess that what-
ever they have v/ritten is moil minutely juft;
that thefe authors were known, not only as
contemporary with the fadls they relate, but
alfo that their fandlity, as men, and the in-
numerable miracles which they wrought,
fheltered their teilimony from the leail fha-
dow of fa fpicion, and rendered them per-
fedly worthy of credic.

This fociety teaches us, that being form-
ed, and in full force, at the time when thefe
books were compofed ; it hath found, and
acknowledged in them only that which it
had before believed -, only thofe fafts of
which it was before well apprifed and per-
fuaded.

The

Clrijlian ReHgiofJ vindicated, 2^3

The tclllmony of this ibclety thus pro-
pofed, has llill nothing in it extraordinary
or divine ; it depends only on the trutli and
certainty of books, and h&s, refpe<5ling the
Chriflian Rehgion. Eut yet, iuch a tcfli-
mony is laperior to whatever can be found
of the kind, in the natural courfe of tilings :
It is a tcftlmony given by an united people
perfedtly inftruded from the firft: inftitution
both in it's origin, and the manner v/herein
it was formed ; and a people, which liath
always zealoufly preferved it's primitive
rights, nor ever, at any time, fuffered the
leall: alteration or change in them ; which,
from it's firf!: conflitution, hath teflified it-
felf defirous that, as well in private as in
common, their evidence fhould be read and
explained, and faithful copies of it preferved.
Upon the foundation of fuch an aflent, thus
ancient and uniform, thus noble and uni-
verlal, we believe, and we advance, that
the truth of the fcriptures, and of the fadls
they contain, ought to be believed.

This is that unanimous confent which
formerly determined Saint Augullin to be-
lieve

<c

234 TIjc T V. V r u of the

lieve the truth of our books, and to quit the
fedt of the Manichees, in order to fubmit"
to the authority of the Cathohc church.
" I fubmitted myfclf, faid that famous man,
only to an opinion, confirmed by the
ftrenuoufly-borne teftimony of nations
and people, who, from all parts, have
*' entered into the pale of the Catholic
" church : I gave my faith up only to a
*' confent fo ancient and univerfal, fo aflo-
*' niiliing and uniform : Hoc ergo crcdidi^
" fmnce celebritate^ confenfione ^ vetiijiate Ro-
'^ boratce'.' This is exadly the manner in
which v/e confider the Catholic church,
when engaged in controverfy with infidels :
This is the teftimony of the people, and no-
thing more : But it is fuch a teftimony, as,
though of a natural kind, is fufficient to
warrant to us the truth of the hiftory of our
books, and the fads which they relate.

^^y , ^. XVIII. After this dio;reffion, not whol-
miracles ly ffom the purpofe, we return to the fub-
jededr* J^^ ^^ miracles. Now, we have already re-
plied to the text in Deuteronomy which
Roufieau cited, in juftification of his afler-
tion of the dubious nature of miracles, and

their

Chrijlian Religion 'vindicated. 2 '^5

their author (whether it be the Deity, or
the Devil); and have fliewn, that the paf-
fagc lie produces has no reference to true
miracles. How, indeed, could icripture
fuppofe that a prophet, intcreiled in the fer-
vice of falfe gods, could perform true mi-
racles to inticc the people to idolatry : That
fame fcripturc, which, in an hundred differ-
ent places, defies every falfe god to work
any fuch ; and which fo frequently afllires
them, that their divinity fliall be acknow-
ledged, if they will but lliew forth a power
futficient for the working of true mira-
cles ? —

If, nmongfl: the Jews, their pharifees and
dodors attribute to the devil thofe miracles
which our Saviour wrought in the very midft
of them (though, by the way, even they
never dared to aflert that God performs mi-
racles, either to tempt mankind, or to try
their fidelity) — wlio docs not perceive tliat
perverfe ignorance, pride, pafllon, revenge,
and malice, are the principal inducement to
fo very poor an evafion ? — The common
people, mr^re honeft: and fincerc, do not he-
fitate to adnure the m.iracles of our Saviour,

and

'236 The Truth of the

and in them gratefully to acknowledge the
omnipotence of God : And had they not
been, at length, deceived and feduced fi'om
that convidlion by their elders, they would
have been conflantly attached to thofe mi-
racles. The pharifees and the lawyers, the
fole authors of all their misfortunes, clearly
fliew throughout the v/hole of their con-
dudt, that the love of truth had no influ-
ence in their deciiion. At iirft they are di-
vided amongft themfelves ; fome of them
cannot fuffer that thefe miracles of Jesus
Christ (hould be attributed to the devil.
*^ IVhat I fay they. Can a devil open the eyes
*^ of the blind? John x. 21. Odiers faid,
" How can a wicked man, an impoRor, do
^' fiich 7niracles ? — and there was a divifon
*' amojig them" In fliort, though they did,
at length, confent to rejed: the miracles of
Christ, yet it is clear they only eifed: their
purpofe by facrificing their beft underftand-
ing to the bafe views of envy and intereft,
^' What are we doing ? they cry, for this
*' man worketh many 7niracles, If we let
*' him thus alone, all men will believe in bi?n,
*' and the Romans will cofne, and defroy our
** city and nation'' After fuch a confeffion,

can

Chrijllan Religion 'vindicated. 237

can any one doubt of the motives which
animated and determined the judgment of
thcfe falfe fa"cs ? Is it not evident that, but
for their interpofition, the whole country of
Judea would have paid due homage to
the divine Redeemer ? They, indeed, pro-
nounced their own condemnation, by ac-
knowledging that the fplendor and power of
his miracles were capable of drawing the
whole world to him, and of making him
regarded as the Messiah.

§. XIX. Let us only confider what idea The na-
the generality of mankind, in all ages, havcpiain
entertained of true miracles : and we fliall^"°^^" ^

quence of

fee that it will be impofliblc for Roufleau miracles,
to fupport his fydem, without rejeciing that
evident and imiverfal confcnt of all nations^
aiid without diredly oppofing that amazing
unanimity of mankind- ^\v\\\d^^ notwithftand-
ing, he looks upon as the fureft light, and
the mod unerring guide. No fooner have
the apoftlcs opened their miffion, than prc-
fcntly the lively impreflion made by their
miracles, draws to them a multitude of dif-
ciplcs : The inl^ibitants of Lsdda and Saron^

• Scer'"tr'i . vol. iij. p. ro?.

238 T^he Truth of the

at fight of the cure performed upon a para-
litic, inflantly embrace the gofpeL Ads ix.
32, &c. The miracle which St. Phihp per-
forms in Samaria, fabdues to the faith a
muhitude of it's inhabitants. All, with
equal ardour, liften to his difcourfes, feeing
the miracles which he wrought. Even Si-
mon Magus is fo (truck with thefe miracles,
and furprifing events, as to be quite befide
himfelf at the fight, and to embrace the
faith which they tended to inculcate. Cer-
tainly then, this magician, with the help of
all the fecrets of his art, and all the aflifi:ances
of the devil, could do nothing which might
be compared or came near to them, fince he
IS feized with fo great aflonifhment. The
proconful Sergius Paulus, fmitten with ad-
miration at the fudden blindnefs of Elymas
the forcerer, immediately believes in Ch R i s t :
Paul and Barnabas, on their arrival at Lyfl:ra,
reflore a man who had been lame from his
birth, to the free ufe of his limbs : The people,
afionifhed at this miracle, cry out with one
voice, *' Thcfc are Gods, comedown to us
*' in the likenefs of men !** and are, that
momciu, for offering facrifices to them.
Such i? the fimple and natural idea which

all

Chrijllan Religion "jindicated. 239

all men entertain of miracles. They are
fully pcrfiuuled, none but the true God can
perform them : And, as the people of Lyftra
acknowledged for gods thofc who were not,
they, therefore, prefenlly attribute to ibem
the prodigy of which they were the admir-
ing witnellcs.

It is by virtue of miracles, and that juft
confequence which all men have drawn
from tliem, that the apollles were enabled
fo widely to extend the knowledge of the
t r u c G o D . * * T trough mighty figm and ivon^
*' dcrs (faith the apoille St. Paul) given unto
*' me to operate^ and by the power of the
*' Spirit c/' God, have I filled^ with the
*' knowledge of the gofpel of Christ, all that
' ' great extent of country from ferufalem round
'' about unto Jliyricwn^-y At the firft fight
of thefe miracles, every one is perfuaded, that
none but God can be their author, or give
the power of working them to the apoftlcs.
Men c.innot help confidcring them as a cer-
tain proof of whatever they declare, after
having performed them ; and arc fully con-
vinced of the trutli of their dodrinc, be-

• Rom. XV. 19.

caufe

24a 57jif T R u T H of the

caufe the miracles which give it fandlion^
cannot poffibly be mixed with' fal (hood, or
wrought in confirmation of deception or
error.

Had the devils, the Pagan deities, ever
wrought miracles like thofe of the apoftles,
or had any one believed them capable of
performing fuch ; what would there have
been fo aiionifhing^ or ftriking, in thofe
which the apoftles produced ? Had it been
conceived, that fuch effects could be con-
neded with a falfe dodrine, or could have
been difplayed, to tempt and deceive man-
kind 5 or, further, could they have been
done with as prompt and fudden a facility,
as thofe of the apoftles dem.onftrated — what
impreffion would thofe wrought by the apo-
ftles have made ? Would not the people
have demanded a fcrutiny of their do&ine ?
Would not they have infifted, that, every
circumftance being fo flatly againft what
thefe new-comers advanced, and the wor-
ftiip they pretended to abolifii, fo ancient
and inveterate ; a long and mature delibera-
tion was therefore neceflary, previous to
their giving their aifent to their preaching ?

But

Chriftian Religion vindicated. 24.1

But the effcil was different : The apoflles
preach ; and give miracles, as the proolV,
warrant, and confirmation o\ their do':^trines:
From that inftant, men no longer hciitate to
yield to their perfuafion ; bat, renouncing
tlieir pafiions, rmd their gods, facrihce
their fortunes, and even life itfclf, to follow
the doctrine which they hear : So certain it
is, that mankind have ever been fully con-
vinced, that true miracles are an evident and
certain proof of the truth -, that the devil
cannot perform them ; and that they can
never be joined with faliliood.

§. XX. Let our infidels, who, in order toApollo-
obfcure the light and fplendor of the gofpel-JI^*^',^ ^^'
miracles, anxiouily feek in fcenes of dark-
nefs, for unauthorized examples in fupport
of their error : Let fuch, if* they pleafe, com-
pare the pretended miracles of an Apollonius
with thofe of the apoftles of Jesus Christ.
Without entering into a minute difcuffion of
the foolifli pretences and deLufion of that im-
poflor, which, however, as St. Auftin well
obfcrves, have no credible author for their
fupport ; Let us judge of the difference be-
tween the works of Apollonius, and thofc
of the apollles, by tlieir different effc(n:-\

CL Thir.

2^2 The Truth of the

This philofopher preaches at the fame
time with the apoftles : He attacks and con-
tradi(5ls the myfteries which they pubhih v
and fets forth a fyftem of moraUty perfedly
conformable to the inclinations of the Pa-
gans 5 while, on the other hand, the apo-
files only propofe croffes, fufferings, mortifi-
cation, and felf- denial : ApoUonius's doc-
trine offers nothing which could bafBe the
reafon of the Pagans 5 every tenet is adapted
to their ideas : The apoftles, on the contra- .
ry, invite men to believe one God in three
perfons : They preach a God crucified, to
the Gentiles very foolifhnefs : In a word,
they require faith in feveral myfteries, which
even the reafon of the moft enlightened
minds could no way comprehend. And
what is the coHfequence ? Apollonius is
defcrted and defpifed, and the illufion of his
vain pretences, diflipated by the iplendor and
power of thofe divine miracles performed by
the apoftles. All the world follows after
them, and embraces their dodrine ; while
Apollonius can only make fome few difcl-
pies, who fcarcely furvive their mafter. Can
anyone require a more ftriking proof of the

divinitv

Chrijlian ReUgicn vindicated. 243;

divinity of the apoilolic miracles, and of the
fallity of thofe of Apollonius ?

All the inftanccs which unbelievers may
endeavour to bring on this head, will be
found of the like nature with the foreeo-
ing : They are either fables, of which even
the very Pagans made a fport and mockery ;
or delufive pretenfions, which bear no kind
of proportion with effedts truly miraculous*
*' They arc, as Livy himfelf obferves, fads
** embellKhed with poetical fidlions, found-
^* ed on no credible or authentic record.**
Fadls, contrived to impofe upon the credu-
lity of the fimple and fuperftitious ; or thofe
fahc miracles, which the fame writer terms,'
ludibria ocuhnun auriinnque^ credit a pro ve^
ris ', that is, cunning tricks, which, fpread-
ing a grofs delufion over the fenfes, make
men receive as truth that which hath only
it's fpecious appearance.

Marius Maximus, a very accuratt author,
cited by Spartian, fpeaking of the pretended
miracles afcrihed to Adrian, fays, That they
are only fidions of impofture and falfliood j
Hcec per f.mulatione fdila. The Pagans ne-
Q 2 ver

2,44- "^^^ Truth of the

ver ventured to affert that their Gods had
cured them othervvile than by the interven-
tion of medicine. The apoftate Juhan does
not boaft of having been cured in any other
manner. Me fcephis cegrotiim fanavit Mjcii-
laphis, indicatis remediis *. What is there
marvellous or admirable in all this ? Is it
not thus that phyficians ufually perfedl their
cures ? And can fuch be compared with
' thofe which Jesus Christ and his apoftles

performed ? Have all the Pagan Deities to-
gether ever efFeded the like ? The very
poets were forced to acknowledge, that none
of their gods could deliver even their deareft
friends from the power of death, when de-
ftiny had cut the thread of their exiftence.
All thefe, without reckoning thofe other
tertimonies which we might eafily fubjoin,
if need required, invincibly demonftrate that
even profane antiquity did not believe that
their Daemon-deities, had ever performed, or
could perform, a true miracle.

Real mi- §. XXI. It remains for US to fhewRoufleau,
c'o^^V""that thofe defenders of the Chriftian Religion,
abieevi- ]^Q affirmed that God did work miracles

dcncts of
truth.

* Apud S. Cyril.

in

Chrijllan Religion vindicated, 2\^

in it's favour, never entertained a thought
that he ever worked any in behalf of error,
or gave power to the devil to perform the like.
It would take me an ample volume, was I in-
clined to recite here all the teftimonies from
ancient tradition, which have conilantly and
univerfally taught, that miracles are the
incommunicable appendage of truth : That
truth alone can boaft of this high preroga-
tive : That it is an unerring mark, whereby
to dlltinguilh, and exemplify it. And that
the Almighty cannot, without contradicting
himfelf, give fuch a teftimony in favour of
falfhood and deception -, nor delegate a power
to the devil to exhibit it, in his own behalf.

All the apologias for our Religion have
challenged the Pagan world to offer but
one true miracle againft thofe which they
oppofed to them. They have called upon
all their gods, alfiiled with all the helps of
magic, all their inchantments, and all their
myfterious juggling, to do any thing which
can come up to thofe marvellous cfFeJs
wliich Jesus Christ produced wiihout
any cxtcrrial means or alTiftancc, and by tlic
folc omnipotence of liis word. ** What !
Q 3 '' favii

246 J'he Truth of the

** fays Arnobius, if any one, t ran fpor ted with-
*^ anger and fury, fhould anfwer me, ^ Is
^ this Christ whom you wcrfhip, God?

* How w^ould you prove it ? ' ** One canr
- ' not, replies he, give a more decifive an-
" fwer in this refp^cfl, than the works he
" did ;. and the unheard-of miracles which
'^ he performed." — " But, perhaps, he
'^ goes on, the caviller will ftill urge, ' Your
' Christ was only a magician j and all

* thoie works you fo much boaft of, were
' only efFed:ed by the tricks of his art/ — ?
** What do you fay! fenfelefs mortals, re-
*' plies Arnobius, venturing to blafpheme,
*' W'hat you cannot underftand ! Were all
*' thefe works, and miracles, the mere illu-
^* lions of devils, and the Heights of magic?
" *— Can you name one of all the magi-
^^ cian$ who ever exifted, that has, in the
*^ leaft degree, done what Jesus Christ
'^ did? Can you, ye incredulous fouls, har-
*' dened and inflexible, can ye produce me
^' a fingle man, to whom even Jupiter him-
*' felf hath communicated the power-— I
''' do not fay -— of railing the dead, of giv-
^' ing light to the blind, or of reftoring
^' broken or niilfied limbs ^ but -7- of cur-

'[ ing

Chrijlian Religion vindicated, 247

^^ ing only a fmall puftule, or riling in the
*^ fkin, by employing his word, or fingle
** touch alone ? "

Our apologifts have gone much farther
than this. They have afTured the Pagans,
that they would confent to acknowledge
their deities as true gods, in cafe they
could prove that thofe deities had ever
given figlit to the blind, caufed the cripple
to walk, or raifed the dead, or done any
thing like it. /' If the fon of Coronis, fays
*' St. Cyril to Julian, has done any thing
*^^ divine ; if he has given fight to the blind,
*' or life to the dead, or feet to the lame,
*^ we juftly ought to add ourfelves to the
*^ number of his votaries." How neceifary
was it then, for our apologias to be well
perfuaded that daemons could never work a
true miracle ; and that God could ftill lefs
perform fuch, in their favour, before they
ventured to offer the heathens fo bold a de-
fiance? And how unavoidable is the conclu-
(ion againfl the latter, that they were per-
feftly confcious of their impotence, never
to liave ventured to accept their challenge !

Q 4 The

248 T^he Truth of the

The Jews of Antloch, in order to draw
Chriftians into their fynagogues, boafted
themielves of the power to work miracu-
lous cares. St. Chryfoftom was very defir-
ous, if polTible, to guard his people againft
all fuch fnares and deceptions ; and accord-
ingly he demonftrated to them, in feveral
diicourfes, that the Jewifh fynagogues were
no more than fo many houfes of Satan, who
had no power to care difeafes : *^ They may
*^ fpread their fnares, fays that pious teacher,
*^ and they may do us a mifchief, but they
*^ can never cure us." Dcemones infidiari
fciunt.^ ac nocerc^ non viederi. After having
given ieveral proofs of which, he concludes,
that, whatever the Jews reported on that
head, were only idle tales and fables : i?/-
diculcc kac^ et fabuhe.

The fame father elfewhere fets forth
ihe objedllon ftarted by Rouffeau, in it*s
fall extent. '^ How, fa 37s he, was that
^^ word which the apoftles preached, con-
" firmed ? Who will allure us, that we are
*' not impofed on by them } This objedion,
*" lays Chryfoflom, is deflroyed by the teAi-

** mony

cc

Cbrijlian Religion "indicated, ^^gj-

mony which the Deity hath borne to their
*' mifTion ; by the fignsand wonders he has
** wrought in their favour : For, had they
*^ deceived us in what they have related,
** God would certainly never have borne
*' witnefs to their condud: by lignsand won-
*^ ders *." So that we have not rafl:ily and
wantonly believed what they faid, but the
miracles which they did, were the authority
for GUI determination. We have not given
credit to 7?2en^ but to God himfelf, who has
become a pledge of the truth of their doc-
trine : Non illis credinms^ fed Deo.

It n^iight, moreover, be objedled to this
pious dodor, that, though God cannot work
true miracles in favour of an inipoRor . or to
give countenance to a falfe dodrine, yet the
devil can, at leaft, perform fuch for that
purpofe 'y and, confequently, that, though
poilcffed of the bed attefted miracles, we
arc no farther advanced than we were be-
fore. St. Chryfoftom, anticipating the ob*
jcdion, clearly proves, that, wh.atcver devils
may do, cannot be compared with true mi.
raclcs; Wi'iatever they produce teflifying only

• Chi'\(l in rich. c. ii Horn. 3.

weakncfs

^^o The T R u T H of the

weaknefs and impotence, ever fruitlefs and
infirm. Ilia enim iion Junt iiirtus et poten-
tial fed imbecilitas^Jed phantafia et y^es vacua
cc inane s. Could this great fcholar more
minutely inform us, that God cannot work
miracles to authorize error ? That he cannot
have ioined true ones with falfhood for that
purpofe : And that the devil never could
perform them ?

Such has been the dodrine of our fore-
fathers in all ages. If the limits of this
work would permit, we could here draw
out a continued tradition of their teftimo-
nies ', but our reader will fee we (hould in
fo doing vv^ander wide of our fubjed:. It is
a truth fo firmly eftablifhed in the Chriftian
church, that a work or a dodrine proved
by miracles, has need of no other evidence
in order to it*s being received, becaufe, for
that reafon, it muft neceflTarily be true, and
fent from God. And, in every age, and in
every conflidl which religion hath fuftained,
I men have always appealed to the decifion of
miracles, and always regarded them as the
moft decifive and convincing proof,

We

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. 25^'

We obferved, in a former page, that the
prophet EHjah offered to the prophets of Baal
this method of determining the difpute be-
tween them. They had the boldnefs to ac-
cept the offer. But all their efforts, their
repeated exchimations, their incifions, and all
their folicitations, could avail nothing : Their
god was too impotent to affift them; and
the God of Elijah was too true, and too
jealous of his glory, to communicate that
glory to impoftors, under pretence of tempt-
ing his followers, and trying their fidelity.
EHjah alone obtained the miracle he requir-
ed. Truth triumphed, and falfliood and
it's adherents were confounded. A memo-
rable inftance of what hath happened in
pvery age.

Scarcely was Jesus Christ put to
death ; fcarcely was he rifen again, and
fcarcely had the apoftlcs received the Holy
Ghoft, when the Jews became firipped of
every token of divinity which their religion
formerly bore : All was transferred to the
Chriflian Religion, as the only true one:
true miracles are no longer to bp i^&n

amongfl

iS^ 'The Truth cf the

amongfl: them ; nor could they ever fucceed
in their endeavours to difplay the leau ap-
pearance of any, notwithftanding all the
challenges which our apologifls have fo fre-
quently offered them. From the firft com-
mencement of the church feveral heretics
have ftarted up to combat it, and corrupt
the faith. St. Irenaeus, amongft the other
leafons he produced to defeat their falfe opi-
nions, objed:s,that they could v^ork no mira-
cles in confirmation of them. He main-
tains, that all their tenets are founded only
in fraud, artifice, and impofture ; that they
cannot cure difeafes, give fight to the blind,
or raife the dead, while fuch miracles were
continually feen to be performed, within the
Chriftian church, and through it's prayers.
Tertullian, refuting the heretics of his time,
makes ufe of the fame arguments againfl
them : *' I am here fpeaking of their mira-
*' cles, fays he ; but, I find that the great-
" eft of their miracles is that of their fetting
*' up for apoftlcs, by a(5ling in every re-
" fped: contrary to thofe whom they pre-
tend to imitate : For the apoflles raifcd
the dead ; but as for thefe they put the
living to death. //// de t/wrtuis fufcita-
I \ :*y d^ '^Ivis mortuos faciunty

In

<C

Cbrljlian Religion vindicated. 253

In otiier dlfputes tiie truth hath ever been
feen to derive authority from miracles; thefe
have conftantly decided the conteft in her fa-
vour ; and error hath never been able to gain
the advantage over her : By miracles, tlie
defenders of the divinity of Jesus Christ
confounded the Arians ; and, in confequence
of that convincing proof, a great number of
thofe who had followed their feci renounc-
ed it. *' God, faid they, cannot give evidence
" in defence of error : Tlie champions for
'* the confubflantiality of theWoRD, wrought
^* true miracles. Truth, therefore, is on their
*' fide, and we are compelled to join them."
The Monothelitcs, in the third council of
Conftantinople, offer to prove the truth of
what they advance by a miracle, and no
one hefitates to accept their challenge : The
fathers, being fully perfuaded that the devil
had no power to do fuch things, and that it
was not pofTible for God to effedt them in
fupport of fallhood, immediately confcnt to
the propofal. A dead body is produced : a
Monothclitc monk mutters over the corpfe
his profcfllon of faith, and fcveral hours are
fpent in praying ; but the dead rifes not.

How,

2 54 ^^^ Trvtu of the

How, indeed, fay the fathers, could it bc^
that a blafphemer fhould work miracles ?

We come now to iliew Roufleau, as we
promifed, that true miracles have ever been
looked upon as the incommunicable proper-
ty of truth, and of the true religion : We
have already fliewn him, that thofe fedts
which have feparated from that religion,
have never been able to produce any true
miracles in fupport of their errors: That in
all times, and all places, they have been
called upon to work them if they could,
and that all their trials and attempts have
been without fuccefs. How well ought
thofe who adhere to the Catholic church
to have been perfuaded of their point, that
miracles are always, and in all circumftances,
an indifputable proof of the truth of a doc-
trine ; fmce they have fo frequently offered
thofe who maintained the groffeft errors, to
receive miracles performed in fupport of
them, as full proof; with a promife to adopt
them, in cafe they performed fuch ! They
therefore were firmly convinced, that the
father of lies can do nothing of that kind

by

Chrijllan Religion vi^idicafed. 255

by his agents; and that God alfo cannot
grant fuch a tcflimony in favour of er-
ror.

Where then are thofe, 'ivho, acknoivledg-
i?ig that God does izork miracles here heknv^
pretend that the de^cil Jbme times imitates
them ? Roufleau, ever bold at advancing
whatever may furnifli him with any pre-
tences for infidehty, and always ready to
impofe upon his readers by that means,
imagines, without doubt, that he ought to
be believed on his own bare word !

Let this hardy writer, who fo unjuftly
calumniates the defenders of the authority
of true miracles, — learn what an affront is
offered to the Deity, by alTerting, that the
devil alfo can perform true miracles. '' This,
*^ obfcrves a famous Chriftian writer, is, in
*' another manner, to fall into the impiety of
'* idolatry ; and this is the cafe of thofe fenfe-
'' lcfsmen,who one while have attributed to
'' the creature that which is inconfiftcnt with
** it's nature ; and, at another, have wreft-
*' ed from God that which cannot be taken
*' from divinity widiout deflroying it. Some
^' have given the honour of a iirfl caufe to a

'[ Being

;j6 ^he Truth of the

*^ Being imperfedt and eflentially depen-

'^ dent; fuch as fire, air, water, the fun, and

*^ the flars ; while others have transferred to

*' wood and flone that holy and incommu-

'* nicable name. Thofe precipitate them-

'* felves into the fame error, who attribute

*^ the knowledge of futurity, and the work-

'^ ing of miracles, to any other caufe than

« GoDhimfelf ^.

The fame writer, anticipating every fub-
terfuge of the infidel antagonift, affirms alfo
in feveral places, that it is impoffible he who
utters a falfe do6lrine, fliould be able to work
true miracles, miracles which can have no
one but God for their author ; becaufe, in
that cafe, the Deity would bear witnefs to
a falfliood ; An event which can never hap-
pen.

Such is the conftant and uniform doflrine
of thofe men, who advance that God does
work miracles here below. And all the apo-

* Incommunicah'ile nomen lignis et lapidihus impofuerwnt : in
himc errorem labuntur, qui — -futurorum cognitionem^ 'vel ?nira'
cuJorum operatio7iem aliis caiijis quam Deo afcribunt^ Sti.
Thomie, lib. ii. cont. gent. c. 3.

log ills

Chrijlian Religion v! mil cat c J, 257

Ibgifis for the Chrillian religion have held
the fame language. The author oi Religion
proved by fa&s^ with good rcafon, infifls
upon this dodrine, and atiirms, that it can-
not be attacked without fliaking the founda-
tions of revelation. ** It is impoirible, fays
*' he, for God to employ his power, or
** permit the exertion oi it, againft himfelf.
** Now I aver, that he would be the au-
*' thor of this diforder, if he was to per-
** form, or permit, the working of fuch
*^ miracles as ipight tend to invalidate a
** known truth. The main end of miracles
** is, to ferve as the evidence of truth, and
" truth cannot be divided againft itfelf. If
** therefore the Deity could either work,
'^ or permit the working of, miracles, in
*' oppofuion to truth, fuch miracles would
*' turn againft himfelf, and his attributes
** would clafh with one another ; his power
** with his veracity ; a fuppofition which is
*' evidently abfurd : It is impofliblc then,
*' that the Deity fhould perform miracles ia
'' fupport of falfliood."

The great Pafcal, the fcourge of infidels,
that fublime and penetrative genius, who

R will

258 T/;^ Truth of the

vvill forever be the confufion of our pre-
tended freethinkers, was very far from ap-
prehending that the devil could work true
miracles, or that they could be joined with
faliliood. He affirms, that miracles, very
far from being ufelefs, are, on the contrary,
the foundation of truth, and a certain proof
of it's exiftence. And he not only main-
tains, that God cannot work miracles in
favour of a man who aimed thereby to gloze
over a faife doftrine; but alfo, that he can-
not even permit falfe miracles to be perform-
ed in behalf of error, without thereby con-
tradicting the truth of his own. From thefe
ielf-evldent- principles, he rationally con-
cludes, that miracles, as they laid the foun-
dation of the church, and will preferve it
endre to the end.

In favour of this mod important propo^
fition, the judgment of the Sorbonne, thus
depofes againft the performance of Roufleau
now under confideration. *^ To admit thofe
*' miraculous events which are produced in
'' proof of the Chriftian Religion, and yet,
" at the fame time, to pretend that they
'^ prove nothing at all ; is to attack the pro-

** vidence.

Chrljlian Religion vindicated. 259

** vidcnce, the power, • and the veracity of
'* God. Tliere are no renlible efFcds more
*' fitly adapted to ftrike the mind, and to
** lignify the high beheils of the Deity, than
*' miracles ; this, experience has fully de-
" j-nonftrated. Take from them the force
*' of evidence, and you deprive God him-
*' felf of every external means w^hcreby to
*' manifefl: his will, by a revelation which
*' is ufeful to mankind, and whereof they
*' can take cognizance. The miraculous
*' events which have happened, all fpeak in
" favour of the religion we piofefs : This
*' religion then is true : — If you refufe to
*' allow this inference, how will you recon-
*' cile that rcfuial with the perfuafion that
*' the providence of God extendeth icfelf
** over all nature, and that He cannot de-
*' ccive us ? — The error of thofe men,
** who, from a natural perfuafion, have
*' been conftantly induced to look upon mi-
*' racks as the feal of divinity, would re-
*' fled upon God himfclf ; and they might
ju(Uy fiy, Jj\ Lord^ iice are indeed decch-
*' ed^ it is thou thyfelf <icho deceive]} us !

R 2 Grounded

26o T^he Truth of the

Grounded in thefe principles, Mr. Beau-
mont, the Archbifliop of Paris, fays very
rationally in a mandate on this fame occa-
fion, '' It is an artifice of the infidels of our
*^ time, to endtavour, in their enumeration
*' of every pariicular proof of the truth of
'' our fiith, to weaken it's evidence : - — in
*' order from thence to form a conclufion,
** that all the proofs united arc as w^eak as
" each, thus individually confidered. The
** propliccies call: an aftonifliing luftre ori
*' the miracles, which the miracles in their
'' turr*, reflcd: back upon the prophecies.
'* Bat this connexion, which God himfelf
'' h.ith placed between the different proofs
'' of- his religion, does not hinder any one
" of them, feparately, from having in itfelf
*' all the power neceffary for the efiablifli-
*Vment of the truth of it." He next
proceeds to combat thofe who venture
to niTert, that true miracles are equivo-
cal, and to compare them with the pretend-
ed miracles performed by devils ; and he con-
cludes u'ith great propriety, " All the fa-
** thcrs of the church, and, after them, all
*' Oi ihodox divines, have conftantly and fuc-

cefsfully.

Chrijlian Re I I gi en vitidicated. zbi

*' cefbfully oppofcd againfl: what was ad-
*' vanccd by the enemies of relic];ion,thar in-
'* finite number of cures wrought by Jicsus
" Christ, through the fertile and powcr-
** ful virtue whofe fource was in himfclf."

When Roufleau tells us, ** Since the ma-.
'' gicians of Pharaoh worked the faaic mi-
** racles, even in the prcfence of Moles, as
** he himfelf performed by the exprefs com-
" mand of God ; why n^ght not they, in
** his abfence, from the fame proofs pre-
*' tend to the fjime authority r" Let us alk,
Can any one make a more falfe and chimeri-
.cal fuppofition ? What foundation is there
for it ? Can he cite a fingle example, or fa(5V,
which any way tends to authorize it ? Cer-
tainly not one : Nor will he ever find that
God hath permitted the devil to perform falfe
miracles, and hath not, at the fame time,
oppofed the truth of his own, to confound
them. If God permits Pharaoh's magi-
cians to eifc(fl fome delufions, it i; to add
more luftre to the triumph of I. is fervant
Mofcs ; and if he fuffers them to contend
with his fervant, it is only that he may more
glorioufly overcome their artifices. Mofes,
R 3 afterwards.

262 The T K V r H of the

afterwards, ftrikes them with horrible uU
csrs : They dare no longer appear before
him ; all their fagacity is confounded ;
all their deceptions are expofed , nor can
they, with all their art, fuccour ^Egypt,
or defend themfelves againil: the terrible
plagues wherewith Gop punifhes it. See
here an inftance of what will be the cafe,
if ever the Deity fhould permit the de-
' vil to exhibit illufion, in countenance of er-
ror and fahhood.

But, granting Rouffeau all thefe falfe prq-
portions, muft he not flill be obliged to
combat every light which reafon affords, ere
he can frame a doubt whether the mira-
cles which prove the Chriftian Religion,
have God for their author? Do they not
bear every the moft ftriking charadler of di-
vinity ? And what was the end and defign of
them? — the overthrow of idolatry, and all
it's attendant abominations -, the abolifhment
of the worfliip of devils 5 the deftrudion
of their tyrannical empire over mankind •
the extindion of thofe innumerable errors
which have overfpread the enrth ; a vit5tory
over all thofe paffions which fubducd man

by

Chrijiian Religion "Jndicated, 263

by degrading him ; and then, the eftablifh-
ment, upon all thefe ruins, of a morality the
moft holy and pure imaginable. After the
recital of atchievements, thus ftriking and
dccilive, can the infidel ftill make a qiief-
tion, whether the devil could have perform-
ed thofe miracles which confirm theChrifliaa
Religion ?

" Let any one, faid TertLillian, to the
Roman Senate, let any one bring before
your tribunals a man who is certainly
known to be poffefled of the devil j and
then let any Chriftian whomfoever com-
mand him to fpeak : The confequence
will be, that he will as truly confefs his
diabolical nature before this man, as he
hath been accuftomed to feign before
others faldy, that he is a God. More-
over, let any one of thofe perfons be brought
hither, of whom you infift that they
are informed with fome Dc-ity, who may
be inflated with a fpirit, which agitates
him fo foon as the fmoke of the facrifices
begins to afcend ; and may utter his ora-
cles by interrupted fobbings: Do this 3 and
^ when you have fo done, if cither that

'' ccleflial

264 ^he Truth of the

*' celeRial goddefs, who foretels rain ; or
*' iEfculapius, the father of medicine, or
'' all the gods together, donotconfefs them-
*' felves to be devils -, and that becaufe they
^^ dare not lie to a Chriftlan j— then (hed thp
*• blood of that impudent Chriftian upon the
«' very fpot." *' Can I, continues Tertul-
" lian, give you a more evident or certain
'' proof, or llluflrate the truth wuth greater
*^ fm^plicity ? Here it appears in full fplen-
" dor, and here it is fheltered from every
'^ fliadow of fufpicion. You could not fure
*' pretend to call this an eifedt of magic ;
" or fufped: fuch an event to be an impof-
*^ ture or a cheat. How could any one op-
*^ pofe a truth fo clear and manifefl: ? By
«* this means your gods will not only dif-*
cover to you, that neither they nor any
others like them, are gods : But you will
aIfo,be forced, by the fame means, to ac-
knowledge Him who is the true God ?
Let them pronounce what Je-s us Christ
and his whole hiilory is ; whether he be
only a mere man like others ; or whether
he be only a magician ; whether after his
death his body was raifcd again from the
tomb ^ or whether it flill remains amongft

cc

<(

<c

<c

the

ChrijVian Religion vindicated. 26$

■^ the dead. Will they dare deny that
** he -is in heaven, and that he muft one
** day defcend from thence, and fill all man-
" kind, true Chrillians excepted, with tcr-
*' ror and amazement, as being the Power,
*' the Wifdom, the Word, and the Son
*' of God? Rather let them, if they can,
*' clear themfelves from ignominy, and
*' condemnation 5 and let them juftify that
*' they are not fuch impious fpirits, as
*' with their followers ought to undergo all
•' the rigours of judgment, in juft punifh-
** ment of their wickednefs,"

*' They perceive the power and author!-
*' ty which the bare pronouncing the name
'* of Christ gives us over them: They
*' dread it, and are fubdued by his fervants.
'* So that at the leaft touch, or the flightell
** breath, from the inflant of our command-
*' ing them -, you behold them forfake bo-
** dies, all confufed, and full of rage and de-
'* fpair ; You, then, who believe them when
'* they utter fallliood, believe them alfo
** when they fpeak the truth : No one lies to
<' his difadvantage, but with a view to his
'* profit s and we readily believe thofe who

*' make

j66 "The Truth of the

*^ make confefTions contrary to their intereft:
" Such are thofe teflimonies which the gods
*^ of their own accord give, and which they
■' are wont to bear to Chriftians : We can-
** not give credit to them, without at the
** fame time beheving in Jesus Christ;
*' They eftabhfh the Truth of our
*' Scriptures, and demonflrate the cer-
** tainty of our hope/' Refpedlng thefe,
fcriptures we proceed to ipeak in our next,

DISSERTATION IV.

On the Scriptures.

N what we have offered hitherto, we
have fuppofed nothing divine in the
sacred Scriptures ; w^e have not re-
garded them as books infpired by God,
and containing his word : We have only
confidered them as books wherein hijiorical
truths mjght be fearched for and invefligat-
ed ; and wherein it may be known, whether
they are fiditious or weil founded ; whe-
ther the events they recite are fabulous or
true ; and v;/hether thofe who pals for their
authors, are really fucb. But after having,
hv means of the fufFra2:e and tradition , of

Chrlflian Religion 'vindicated. 267

fo many people, proved the truth and cer-
tainty of ail thefe records, we muft draw
from thence the confequences, which are
the natural refult of our obfervations upon
them.

Now thefe books abound with the re-
cital of miracles, which were wrought by
the authors of them, to confirm the divinity
of their mifi'ion. Thofe authors everywhere
declare thcmfclves to be the meffcngers of
God, his oracles and prophets, and to be in-
fpired by him in whatever they pronounce ;
they protefl: to utter nothing but the truth, and
their miracles give them credit — I cannot
therefore regard thefe books as hijlorically
true, without, at the fame time, acknow-
ledging their divinity, the fandtity of their
authors, and the truth of their dodrine ;
nor without refpeding their words as the
words of God himfelf.

I afterwards exam.ine thefe fame books,
as to what they teach us concerning that
i()cicty which hath borne teftimony to them,
and I there find that Jesus Christ is it's
jnftitutor 3 his fpirit it's foul ; and that he

will

26S 7l)eTRVTjf of the

will continue with it even unto the end
of time ; that he will never permit the
gates of hell to prevail againji it \ that this
fociety is the bafis and pillar of truth ;
that it's founder hath furnifhed it with
apoflles, prophets, evangelifts, paftors, and
teachers, (o as that we may not be tojjed about
'With every wind of doctrine, I there read
that whofoever (liall not hearken to it's pre^
cepts, fhall be looked upon as an heathen
man and a publican. All thefe things, and
many other fuch, which are to be found in
thefe books, and which are acknowledged
as divine, oblige me, by confequence, to re-
gard this fociety as of a divine original.

I therefore cea:fe to look upon the church
as a fociety merely human : I behold it in-
vefled with a divine authority. I add then,
to that teftimony which it hath borne to
the fcriptures, as a fociety ancient as them-
felves, and founded upon them — another
teftimony of a more excellent nature, which
it bears to them as infallible, and the repo-
fitory of divine revelation. And thus, by a
necelTary confequence drawn from an argu-
ment which is widely diftant from a vicious

circle.

Chrijiian Religion vindicated. 269

circle, the fcriptures and the church mutually
prove each other.

The perfedl correfpondence of reafon and
fcripture induces our fubmifiion to the
church's authority : — Reafon, bccaufe it
informs us, that we ought to refer ourfelves
to the teflimony of fo great a fociety as the
church, refpeding thofe fads which confti-
tute the divinity of our fcriptuaes : — and
thofe iiv^t fcriptures, becaufc, in the next
place they teach us, that the church is a
proper tribunal for the decifion of all points
belonging to revelation. We do not there-
fore, as RoulTeau pretends, prove that the
church hath a right of determination, be-
caufe it hath adjudged itfelf to have this
right ; but we previoufly fliew, that the
church was founded in order to determine
that it had this right ; and after having efta-
blifhed the foundation of it's decifion, that
fame decifion furni/lies us afterwards with a
new proof of it's right.

To render what I have been obferving
flill more obvious, it may be proper to make
ufc of a comparifon, which will ferve to

difiipatc

270 The Truth of the

diflipate all the cunning devices of the un-
believer. In a civil ftate, the common-
weakh bears teftimony to the truth of the
laws, and afcertains their exiftence and au-
thenticity. Does any difpute happen re-
fpeding the nature, prerogatives, or confii-
tution of a ftate ? In this cafe the fociety,
which compofes that ftate, attefts the truth
of thofe laws upon which it is founded.
After being aflured therefore, by this irre-
fragable teftimony, of the certainty of thofe
laws, we may confult them, in order to learn
what are. the privileges of that fociety which
bears teftimony to them, and what ought
to be the form of it*s government. Apply
we this to the church.

The fcripture is that to the church which
the laws are to a ftate. As the ftate attefts
the authenticity of the laws of fociety, the
church in like manner attefts the authenti-
city and truth of the fcriptures. To know
the conftitutlon and prerogatives of the
ftate we have recourfe to the laws, after
being aflured of their exiftence by the tefti-
mony of that fociety whereof the ftate is
compofed. In the fame manner, to difcover

the

Chrijlian Religion vindicated, 271

the rights and qualities of the church, we
confult the fcriptures, whole truth is war-
ranted to us by the tradition and teflimony
of that Ibciety which conflitutes the church.
In thefe archives of divine legiflature, we
learn, what the church is, and what are it's
proper prerogatives. This fociety doth not
give the fcriptures their authority -, nor doth
it imprint on thefe books that charader of
divinity wherewith they are inverted : It
only atteds the truth of the facts they re-
late ; and this truth demonftrates the divi-
nity of thefe books ; and confequently there
is no falfe argument in the manner whereby
we prove the divinity of the fcriptures, and
the authority of the church. Thefe two
teflimonies reciprocally borne by the fcrip-
tures, and the fociety which preferves thofe
fcriptures, are of a very different nature.
The evidence we make ufe of to prove to
the infidel the truth of the fcriptures, is not,
as indeed we have before obferved, of a
divine or fupernatural kind j it confifts Am-
ply of a public and perpetual tradition, at-
tefled by the whole body of the fociety, vi-
fible in all ages, and evidently reaching back
to die firfl origin of the fociety, and of the

fcriptures.

^72 The T R u t h of the

fcriptures. But yet fuch a tradition is of in-
finite efficacy to eftabiifli the antiquity oY
the fcriptures, and their hiftorical truth,
from which their divine authority neceffari-
1}^ refults. The authority of thefe books
thus demonftrated, proves to us, in tlie next
place, the authority of the church, and
the right which it hath to decide in all
matters of religion.

The church's authority being once efta-
blifhed upon fuch folid foundations, all the
objections of Rouffeau, and thofe difficul-
ties which he endeavours to exaggerate and
magnify, prove abortive, and are demolifh-
ed, againft the immutability of that facred
ftru(5lure. Rouffeau was very fenlible of this ;
fince, as we proceed to take notice, he has not
attempted to depreciate this authority in our
opinion, but only to bring us back into thofe
various difficulties common to private feds :
Depart from tbis^ as he has told us, fpeak-
ingof tlie church's ^nihoniy ^ a7jd you run info
endlefs dfcujfions. But we will not depart
from it, becaufe, as we proceed to fhew,
our attachment to this authority is faiidly
founded. We are excufed, therefore, from

running

Chriftian Retigkn vindicated, 273

fiinniivT Into all thofe difcuffions into which
RoulTcau fv^ems defirous to force us.

§ II. From the time I am convinced of Commoa
the Church authority, I, as an unlearned "'f""'"/^

^ ' * relt in the

man, have no longer any need of that z;;?- authority
7nenfe erudition which PvOuiTeau judges ne- chriftian
ccllary, for the examination of the Chriflian <^h^^^^-
Religion : I have no need to go back to the
earlicj} antiqiut\\ to exa?niney iveigb^ and
conjf onty prophecies^ revelations^ and fa^ls,
loith all the records of faith 'which have made
their appearance in all the countries of the
nuorld : To afcertain their times ^ places, au-
thors, and occafons, I have no more need
of the vaft critical fagacit\\ which Rouflcau
deems requifite for every one, in order to
dijlinguifj pieces ivhich are authentic^ from
thofe which are fiBitious. To compare objec-
tions "ivith anfwers \ tranflations with their
originals ; to judge of the impartiality of
witncfjcs^ f their good fenfe, and oj their in-
telligence ; to know if 7iotbi?jg has been add-
ed to their te/limony ; // nothing hath been
changed, tranfpofcd^ or forged , to obviate the
contradi5lions which flitl remain ; to judge
ivhat weight the f.lence of our opponents ought
S to

274 *^^'^ T R V T H of t/je

to have^ voitb refpeB to the fuels alledged
againjl them j to df cover ^whether thcfe alle-
gations were knoucn to them 3 whether they
did ?iQt difdaiti them too iniich to make any
reply to them -, whether thefe books were com-'
mon enough j or ours to reach them\ or if we
were honejl enough to let them have a free
circidation ainongjl us^ and to leave their
jlrongejl oLjeBions in full force.

All thefe difficulties, which are only
founded in artifice and infidehcy, and many
others, will no more impede me ; as foon
as I have difcovered the authority of the
church. I have found every thing in that.
This is a fl-jort path, which extricates me
from that labyrinth into which the infidel
would force me. I am dlfpenfed from en-
tering into all thofe horrible difcufjions v/here-
ia he would engage me : fince I have gain-
ed a knowledge of the means which will
dcHver me from them.

That authority on which I rely, has made
all the neceffary refearches and examinations
for me, and that much more furely and
exadly than 1 could have done : by relying

on

CLrifiiiin Rt/igion vindicated, 275

on it's tcUiriiony, I recur huck to the earlieji
antiquity ; / examine, I ^iceig/j^ I conjront
prophecies^ revelations^ and Jaclsy luith all the
monuments of faith 'ichich have appeared i7i
all the countries of the world j becaufe this
authority has adlually done all thofe things-,
in all times, and that in fuch a manner as
leaves me in no doubt. Being conftantly
iubfifling, it afcertaim 7ne of their times^
places^ authors^ and occafions-^ becaufe it hath
preferved the remembrance of them, by an
uninterrupted tradition. I have no more need
of a great critical fagacity, in order to didin-
guifh authentic pieces from thofe which are
fuppofititious i to know whether nothing be
fuppreffed or added, tranfpofed, changed, or
falfihed. The vigilance of the church, it's
fcrupulous attention, it's integrity, and even
the envy of it's enemies, v/ho would not
have failed publicly to cenfure any alteration
2nd interpolations, had it fufFcred any fuch i
the impolTibility there was of falfifying or
altering that multitude of copies which have
been made of thoic holy books from the
beginning, in all languages, and in every na-
tion of the world. Thefc circumftances
cafily difpel all my apprchenlions, and war-

S 2 rant

276 The T R V r n of the

rant to me the perfedtnefs of the facred de-
pofit, with which it hath been intrufted.

The promifes of God to his church, and
the idea I have of his wifdom, will noi: per-
mit me to entertain the lead fufpicion of the
purity of all thofe records. What ! would
the omnifcient God have informed mankind
of his will 5 and would He have eftabliilied
a Religion, without confideringhow to main-
tain it afterwards ? Would he have judged
revelation neceffary, — and yet have neg-
leded the prefervation of it ? Would he
have fuffered an alteration in thofe records,
from v^hich he commands us to learn the
knowledge of him ? And would he have
permitted mankind to derive error and falfe-
hood from thofe v^ry fources wherein he
commands them to feek after the truth ? —
Had he fuffered that in thefe books which
he hath inverted with his whole authority,
by means of that teftimony which he haih
borne to them, that the truth fhould be
confounded with untruth, and his Divine
Word, mixed with the fiftions of men ; —
Would not this have been to draw us into
fnares, and lead our darkened minds intq
error ?

It

Chnjlian Religion vindicated, ZJJ

It was eflcntially requifite therefore that
Divine Providence fhould take a particular
care of thcfe books, which his own Spirit
had di(ftatcd. By communicating revelation
he engaged to preferve it from all thofe de-
filements which it might have received either
from the frailty or malice of mankind.

^. III. In order to fhew more plainly, p^^cern-
the extraordinary providence which God various
inceflantly grants to thofe facred books, ^^P^"^^^
which Himfelf caufed to be written, let us ings of
caft our eyes over that multitude of copies,
and tranflations which have been made of
them at different periods. It is true we fhall
find in them fome variations -, but variations
which no way eflentially affedl the matters
they treat of.

Among all the verfions, all the different
texts, whatever they may be, the fame laws
rcfult from them, the fame miracles, the
fime predictions, the fame chain of hiflory,
the fame body of dodrinc ; in a word, the
Um^fubftcmce, Thus, v/hatcver is effcntial
in the facred volumes, hath ever remained
S 3 unalterable ;

278 The Truth of the

unalterable : Thofe differences of texts,
which in other refpedts are quite unimpor-
tant, ferve but to fliew the great and vene-
rable antiquity of the facred originals. From
whence do they arife indeed, but from that
mukitude of copies which hath been made
of them in the courfe of fo many ages. From
an ignorance of the original language, which
ceafcd to be common ; from that change
wd:iich length of time hath produced in the
places where the Jewilli people refided; from
the obfcurity in which it hath involved the
ancient genealogies, whofe thread hath been
long loft ; or from the oblivion of dates and
fadts fo very remote, as to have efcaped the
memory of m.ankind ? It is the fame with
regard to the verfions. They prove, in the
next place, how ancient the language of
fcripture is, fince all their elegance is loft,
and we cannot give them their beauty and
force, with the utmofl: exaclnefs. The va-
rious readings in the text ftill further fliow
what religious refped has always been paid
to thefe facred books. People rather chofe
to ♦^ive them fuch as they found them, than
to take the liberty of changing or correfling
in them what might tend to embarrafs. In

all

Chrijlian "ReViglon vindicated. 279

all the places which may pofiibly raife a dlf-
iiculty, or make the i^nic obfcDrc, no one
has ever ventured to rcflore a fingle cxprcf-
fion, by reafon or conjedurc. Tliey have
ever exadly followed the Jh it /j of the co-
pies ; and as the immutable nature of tra-
dition has never permitted wholefome doc-
trine to be altered ; fo it has been reafonably
apprehended, that other defers, if any re-
mained, would ferve only to prove that no
one hath altered any thing out of his own
fancy. Shall the variance of feme few texts
be able after this, to prejudice the divinity
of thefe holy books? And hath not Divine
Providence done every thing in their behalf,
which we could defire, by prcferving the
ground and fubftance of them unalterable ?

All thefe reafons may fuffice to anfucr
Roufleau's inquiry, '' who fhall affure me
** that thefe books are faithfully tranflated,
'' or that it is even pofiible they fliould be
** fo r ^'* Nothing more is requifite in or-
der to evince the faithfulnefs of thefe tran-
flations than their entire conformity with

• Vol. III. p. 163.

S 4 each

2 8o The Truth of the

each other, in regard to fandamentals. From
whence, let us aik, can this conformity pro-
ceed, unlefs from that refemblance which
they all bear, in this relped:, to the origi-
nal, their common fource ? In fliort, the au-
thority of the church, which can only ad-
mit of fuch tranflations as are faithful in
point of fubftance, is to us a fure warrant
for the faithfulnefs of all thofe which it au-
thorizes and approves.

With the affiftance, and under the fanc«
tion, of fuch an authority, what need is there
of making any flop at all at, thofe frivo-
lous details of difficulties which Rouffeau is
pleafed to throw together, in order to puzzle
the minds of his readers? Ought I to give
myfelf the trouble of judging what weight
the filence of opponents ought to have, with
regard to fads alledged againft them ? And
belides, Can one doubt whether all thofe
allegations were known to them ? Have
they not themfelves made mention of them ?
Nay, have they not given them an additional
weight, by that teftimony which demon-
;?.ration has extorted fiom them ? " I am

** not

Chrijlian Religion "cindicated. aSi

*' not now to leek, lays Celfus *, (fpeak-
*' ing of the Chriftians) I am not now to
" feek what they think : For I have fully
'* known and dilcovered all thele matters."
Non quod Jcire quceram quid fenti ant nam
cmnia 7iovi, — Celfus does not contend with
the Chriftians concerning the truth of the
fadts which they maintain ; on the contra-
ry, the very manner wherein he endeavours
to explain them, tends only to give them a
further degree of evidence. Julian the apo-
ihte, who alfo was not ignorant of the
Chriftian Religion, nor omitted any thing
which might ferve to decry it, hath, in like
manner, never dared to charge thefe fads
or the records which contain the relation of
them, with forgery. So that their veracity
becomes fortified as much by the unanimous
ronfent of thole who believe, as by that of
Pagans and heretics. But befides all this ;
Do the confequences deduciblc from thefe
fads any way depend upon the knowledge
which the ^verfaries of the Chriftian Reli-
gion may have of them ? May not they, indc-
p -n.lently of their tellimony, have all ncccl-

* Apud originera.

fary

2^^ 7he Truth of the

fary certainty ? Are not thefc fads of them-
felves convincing and decifive? — What fine
criticifm ! To render fads demonftrative, it
as neceiTary that their opponents fhould have
been known, combatted, and refuted ; and
that we alfo know whatever they may have
had to urge againft their evidence. Now is
* not this an excellent method of reafoning ?

Are not the atteftation of thofe who faw
them, and of the many people who have
believed them, together with the conftant
and univerfal tradition which hath perpetu-
ated the memory of them, fufficient to ren-
der them indubitable ? What if thefe fads
had fubdued the minds of all mankind, and
had not afterwards fufFered a fingle adverfa-
ry, would it then have been neceffary to ceafe
from giving credit to them ? What various
oppofitions have not thefe fads filenced ?
How many men have not they attraded to
the Chriftian Religion, who before were it's
implacable enemies ? Is not the teflimony of
thofe men, who were impelled and conquer-
ed, by mere evidence alone, far more power-
ful than the refiftance of thofe others, who,
like Rouffeau, never have any thing to op-

fof:

Chrijlian Religion vindicate J. 2%^

pofc to llich extraordinary proofs, but low
abufc, unniaDly calumnies, and malevolent
cavilti ?

§. IV. Who can have a doubt, whetlier ? •^' ^^^'
our books have been fufficiently common, known
fo as that they might have been known to ^^
the whole world ? The multitude of copies
and tranflations, which, from the beginning
has been made of them, rendered the know-
ledge and reading of them eafy to every one;
Thus have not Celfus, Porphyry, and Ju-
lian, made ufe of them, in their books againft
the Chriftians ? Thefe records of our Reli-
gion have been made public throughout the
whole earth. The circumftances of times,
perfons, and places, have made the exami-
nation of them eafy to every reader. The
world hath been informed ; the world hath
believed : and if we never fo (lightly confi-
der the manner in which the Chriftian Re-
ligion was fprcad abroad, and got into repu-
tation, are we not forced to grant, that no
bufinefs was ever tranfa<fled with greater
maturity of deliberation, and more precau-
tion, with fuller knowledge, or on deeper
reflexion.

RoufTcau

^^4 "^he Truth of the

Rouffeau doubts whether^ in the books of
our adverfaries, we were honeji enough to
leave their Jirongeji objeBions in their full
force. He is fenlible that all the objections
which ffill fabfift againft the Chriftian Reli-
gion, are net weighty and adequate enough ;
and therefore, to indulge his infidelity, he
chufes to fancy that there have been fome
fuch heretofore, which were ftronger, and
which therefore we have fecretly retrench-
ed : But upon what ground does he fuppofe
this ? In order to impugn the honefty of the
Chriftian church, was it not neceffary to have
in hand fome proofs of fo heavy and injuri-
ous an accufation ? Certainly it was neceffary
to find out fome ancient author, who had
complained of the fraud pretended, and to
be able to produce an original of thofe works,
where one might meet with thofe confider-
able objections, which had been fuppreffed in
the copies. But without any proofs at all,
without the flighteft probable evidence, to
ftart fuch a fufpicion againft a fociety, which
hath given fo many tokens of it's candour
and fincerity ; what licentious bolclnefs is
this? What could the Chriftian Religion

have

Chrijllan Religion vindicated. 285

have been the better for fupprelTing the ob-
jcdions of it's adverfaries ? The infidel, al-
ways upon the look out, would not have
failed to repair and prelerve, on his fide of
the argument, whatever that church might
have wiflied to deflroy, in aid of it's own.
Befides, what intereft could the Chrifrian
Religion have for acting in this manner ?
Hath that Religion, which always defied it's
adverfaries, and incited them to the combat,
ever fliewn a fear of their objeclions ? And
was it not for it's advantage to fufFer them
to exift ? They were as fo many monument^;
of it's victories and triumph ; and, as ijideed
it hath always proved, whatever objedlions
may be raifed againfl it, will ever redound
to it's glory, and the confufion of infidelity.

RoufTeau clearly fliows us, he hath no-
thing folid to allcdge againfl the Chrillian
Religion : He fancies himfelf very flrong in
argument, when he has flarted a variety of
doubts refpedting points which carry with
them the falleft evidence, and laboured to
fprcad an extravagant fcepticifm over the
moft certain facls. ]]ut let him, as much
as he will, muUiply the cavils and diHicul-

tics

286 The T RV TH of t/oe

ties which he afTembles together againft them
from all parts : The believer, fully convinc-
ed of the church's authority, which we have
demon ftra ted, will give himfelf no trouble
about them ; and even though his capacity
fhould not enable him to refolve them, his
faith would be always fufficienily firm to
hold them in derifion.

It is in that brief view only that we have
confidered the S. S. not defigning to enter
into a minute difcuffion of them ; Thcfe
who are defirous of doing fo, may find in
Dr. Hartley's Obfervations on Man, Vol. II.
fufficient to afford them ample fatisfadlion.

DISSERTATION V.

The Moral Character of Jesus
Christ compared with that of So-
c R AT E s.

Intro- §. I. A MONGST the various evi-
dudion. jL\, dences to prove the truth and

divinity of our holy Religion, that taken
from the moral charadler of Jesus Christ
is, perhaps, not the leaft cogent. Indeed it
cannot but raife our furprize to think that

any

Chriflian Religiofi "vindicated. 2S7

any rational being can contemplate this cha-
radter, without wonder, adoration, and
love : a charadler manifeftly fuperior to all
others, whether real or fidlitious ; whether
drawn by the faithful hand of the hiftorian,
or by the more flattering pencil of the ora-
tor or poet.

Deifts and unbelievers are fond of exalt-
ing the charader of Socrates, and of
comparing him with, or preferring him to,
Jesus Christ. We are very willing to
pay all due honour to the merit of Socrates,
perhaps more than fome difparagers of re-
velation may approve : We will readily
grant him to have been one of the bed and
wifeft of the heathen fagcs * ; but, confi-
dered in every view, and with the moft
partial eye, he falls, and mufl neceffarily
fall infinitely fl:)ort of that divine Redeemer,
who was the confummate pattern of all per-
fedion.

* Sec Revelation examined with candor. Vol. III. p.

2.

Let

288 ilje Truth of the

Let us hear what Rouffeau has to fay

upon the fubjedl. *' With regard to reve-

' lation, fays he, could I reafon better, or

' were I better informed, I might be made

' fenfible^ perhaps, of it's truth, and of it's

* utility to thofe who are fo happy as to
' believe it ^ but, if there are fome proofs

* in it's favour, which I am not able to in-
' validate, there appear alfo to me many

*' objedions againft it which I cannot re-
*' folve." In anfwer to this let us remark,
that if there a^e proofs in favour of a fadl
which cannot be invalidated ; and if the na-
ture of that fa6l is fuch, as to render ob-
jedions to it very natural and probable -
ought not every reafonable man to filence
his objedtions, and to receive the fad: upon
proofs which cannot be invalidated ? —

RoufTeau's §. II. He goes on — '' I will confefs further,

to theTx"- *' ^^^^ ^^^^ majcfty of the fcriptures firikes

celicncy « nig with admiration ; — as the purity of

* *' the gofpel hath it's influence on fny heart.

" Perufe the works of the philofophers,

** with all their pomp of didion ; how

*' mean, how contemptible are they, com-

** pared

Chriflian Religion vindicated. 289

*' pared with the fcriptnre ! Is it poflible
*• that a book, at once io fimple and fo fub-
*' ftine, fliould be merely the work of man?
** — Is it poflible that the H^crcd pcrfonagc
" whofe hiilory it contains, fliould be him-
** felf a mere man ? Do we find that lie af-
*' famed the tone of an cnthufiaft, or anibi-

tioLis fc(flary ? — What fweetnefs, what
** purity in his manners ! What an affcdiing
*^ gracefulnefs in Ins delivery ! What fab-
** limity in his maxims! Wliat profound
** wifdom in his difcourfe ! What prefencc
** of mind, what fiigacity, what truth in
** his replies ! How great a command over
** his palTions ! — Where is the man, where
*' the philofopher, who could fo live and fo
*' die, v/ithout weaknefs, and without ollcn-
*' tation ? — When Plato defcribed his ima-
*' ginary good man, loaded with all the
** Ihame of guilt, yet meriting the higheft
*' rewards of virtue ; he defcribed exaftly
*' the charai^er of Jesus Christ*. The
*' refemblancc was fo flriking that all the

fathers perceived it."

• Sec SpenS Plato.

t<

<f

290 ^he Truth of the

Now let us ftand ftiU awhile, and aflc^
whether it Were poflible to conceive that
thefe words could proceed from the mouth
of a profeffed unbeliever ? — To conceive,
that a man who ufes fuch language, fhould
immediately declare himfelf againft revela-
tion, and, in the gaiety of his heart, plunge
into the very depths of fcepticifm ? This is
a contradicflion without parallel ; and one
might believe without injuftice, that a hand
no lefs eloquent than Rouffeau*s, had inter-
polated this and the paffage next quoted, in
defence of revealed Religion, againft a pro-
feffion of faith diredly to the contrary.

" What prepofleflion, fays he, what blind-
*' nefs muft it be, to compare the ion of
Sophronifcus with thefon of Mary ? What
an infinite difproportion is there between
them ! Socrates, dying without pain or
ignominy, eafily fupported his charafter
to the laft 5 and if his death, however
cafy, had not crowned his life, it might
have been doubted whether Socrates, with
all his wifdom, was any thing more than
a vain fuphift. He invented, it is faid,

'' the

Chriftim Religion "oindicattd, 291

*f the theory of morals ; others, howevef,
*' had before put them in pradlice. He had
** only to fay, what they had done ; and
*' reduce their examples to precepts. Ari-
*' Aides had been juft, before Socrates de*-
*' fined juilice : Leonidas gave up his life
'* for his country, before Socrates declared
** patriotifm to be a duty. The Spartans
were a fober people, before Socrates re-
commended fobriety ; before he had even
defined virtue, Greece abounded in virtu-
ous men. But where could "Jefus learn
among his compatriots, that pure and
fublime moraUty, of which he only hath
given us both precept and example ? The
greatcft Vvifdom was made known amidft
" the moll: bigottcd fanaticifm ; and the
*/ fimplicity of the molt heroic virtues did
** honour to the vileil people of the earth. —
** The deatii of Socrates^ peaceably philo-
" fophifing with his friends, appears the
** mod: agreeable that could be wifiicd for:
^* That of jr/z/j, expiring in the midft of
*' agonizing pains, abufed, infultcd, curfcd
'* by a whole nation, is the mod horrible
** that could be feared. Socrates^ in re-
" cciving tlie cup of poifon, blcffcd indeed
T 2 «* the

292 "The Truth of the

*' the weeping executioner who adminiller-
*' ed it ^ but Jefus, in the midft of excru-
*^ ciating tortures prayed for his mercilefs
" tormenters. Yes : If the life and death
'^ of Socrates are thofe of a fage, the life
^' snd death of Jefus are thofe of a God.
*' Shall we fuppofe the evangelical hiftory a
*^ mere fi(fl:ion ? Indeed it bears not the
'' marks of ficflion : On the eont?'arx, the
*' kijlory of Socrates^ which no body prefumes
*' to doubt ^ is not fo well attefed as that of
*' Jefus Chrijl. Such a fuppofition in- fad
*' only {hlfts the difficulty, without remov-
*' ing it : It is more inconceivable that a
" number of perfons fliould agree to write
*' fuch an hiftory, than that one only fhould
** furnifh the fabjed: of it. The Jewifli au-
*^ thors were incapable of the did:ion, and
*' ftrangers to the morality contained in the
" gbfpel ; the marks of whofe truth are fo
*' grand, fo ftriking, fo perfedtly inimitable,
*^ that the inventor would be a more afto-
*' nifliing character than the hero."

Now, can any words be more juft, and
more eloquent, than thefe, or contain a ful-
ler apology for revealed Religion, *' the

*' marka

Chriftlan ReligioJi '"cimlicated,
** marks of-whofe truth, as he obfervcs, arc
'' lb grand, io ftriking, fo pcrfedly in-
*' imitablc, tliat the inventor would be a
*^ more aftonirnins; characler than the hero?''
Is it poffible for tlie lame fountain to fend
forth fwcet waters and bitter, — that which
empoifons, and that which gives hfe ? — >
Well fiid an elegant writer ^, that *' Con-
*' tradidions are an accident infeparable
*' from the malady called error,'* For
what can be more contradidory than for
the -writer, who has delivered what we have
juft repeated, to continue fiying, in the fame
breath, that that gofpel, whofe marks of
truth are fo flriking, inimitable and invin-
cible, *' abounds with fuch circumftance?
^' and relations, as it is impoffible for a man
**' of fcnfe either to conceive or admit r"
— Yet he hath faid above, that '' the hiflo-
*' ry of Socrates, which no body prefumes
*• to doubt, is not fo well atteiled as that of
" Jesus Christ." — How then can any
man prefume to doubt that hiftory of Jesus
CiiK 1ST, when he has ftronger evidence to
believe [r, than he has to believe that of

• Eifhop BofTuet.

T 3 Socrates,

r.9

29^ The T R V r H of the

Socrates, which no body prefumes to doubt f
— How fimple is truth - — how inconfiftcnt
and confufed are falfhood and error]

Rouffeau grants there is '* an infinite dlf-
'' proportion between Jesus Christ and
^* Socrates.'* After tjiis confeffion we may
hope, no infidel will prefume to draw a
parallel between them : None but the ene-
mies of revelation would prefume to draw a
parallej : Such will readily aljow all imagi-
nable virtues to Christ, rather than grant
him the charadler of (jOD made man to re-
deem the human race : They will 'readily
grant that Socrates is inferior to Jesus
Christ, provided we will difpenfe with
the adoration of the divine and human na-
ture in the unity of his perfon. But all:
their praife is blafphemy, fo long as they
confider and fpeak of Jesus as a mere man ;
thus robbing him of his divinity, and de-
Aroying, at the fame firoke, ail the facred
myfterie?3 and, by conftquence, all the true
Religion which Jesus Christ came to
teach. ' .....

§. III. How

Chnjlian Rdigkn 'vindicated. 295

^.III. However, to flicw the infinite fupe- Moral
riority of the charafter of Jesus Christ iOo{]i^x.i
that ofSocrates, and of all others; kt usawhik ^'"'^^^^•
forget the augiift qualities of the Messiah,
and only confider what appears at firft view
in that book, which contains the hiflory of
his life.

Have we ever feen or heard of, upon
earth, any man in whom we might difcera
fuch characters of innocence and holinefs ;
fuch contempt and indifference for the
world ; fuch love of virtue ; fuch zeal for
the glory of God, as difcovered themfclves
in Jesus Christ? Have we ever feen a
man io totally exempt from all the foibles
infeparable from human nature ? Can the
eye of prejudice itfelf difcera thefe vir-
tues in the fon of Sophroaifcus ? Abfolutely
undeceived, as he was with refpcdl to the
Pagan fables, and convinced of the futility
of their worfliip, did he not continue to fa-
crifice to the heathen Gods, as well in pub*
lie as private? Did he not approve the oracle
of Dclphos, which ordered him with the
true voice of a daniion, to conform himfclf

T 4 to

296 'The Truth cf the

to the Idolatrous w£)r{liip eftablidied in every
place ? — Did llich a condu6t fliew much
contempt and indifference for the world, or
much zeal and love for the truth ? Doth
not Socrates, in his lafl: moments, when he
boafted himfelf fo ftrong, and fo fuperior to
his fate, doth he not rather fpeak like a man
who Vv'ifhed for, than like a fage who was in-
timately perfuaded and aillired of immorta-
lity? After having endeavoured to convince
his friends in the prifoU; one plainly difcerns
that he is not fully convinced himfelf. He
finlihes his difcourfe with doubts, and all his
reafonings only end in averting from his
mind the dread and the image of death. See
then, if this philofopher, *' who penetrated,
" as they fay, into the bofom of the Deity,
^' who difcerned fo many ufeful truths, and
*^ practiced all the virtues," if he made one
of his apologifts believe. Dying he facri-
ficed a cock to the God ^Efculapius — a com-
mendable ceremony only, fay his apologifts,
which the popular Religion required : What

^ fincerity was this, or rather, what weaknefs!

If he believed that Religion true, there is an
end cf his reputation 3 if he believed and

knew

Chriflian Religion "^indicated. 297

knew it to be faife, whut becomes of his fin-
ceiity and veneration for God and truth ?

Turn your eye's hence upon the author of
the Chrillian RcHgion, and regard no more
fo facrilegious a parallel. Not a word of
deceit ever falls from the lips of Jesus:
From his birth he was holy and undefiled,
without fpot, fcparate from finners : Perfed:
innocence, purity of manners, temperance,
juftice, meeknefs, goodnefs, difinterelled-
nefs, patience carried to the higheft degree,
and, above all, an entire devotion to God,
an ardent zed, and ready fuffering for the
faivicion of men, — thefe are the flriking
traits which compofc the picture of the
bkiTjd Emmanuel.

With morals fo pure he affumed not any
extreme feverity : He was not of a morofe
and auftere carriage : We find him at wed-
dings to which he was invited : We meet
him at feafls with different perfons ; good
phyfician, he never fliunned the fick where-
cver they might be found. Studious of oc-
cifions to do vv'cll, fpite of the cenfure of
the haughty Pharifcc? ! There never ap-
peared

t^9 The Truth cf the

pearcd in him the leaft trace of ambition ;
the leaft appearance of oftentation : He
ipoke, and he lived in perfe(fl difdain of
riches : He paid no particular deference to
the great : He cenfured equally, and equal-
ly rebuked, Sadducees,Pharifees, and Scribes,
— without endeavouring to pleale one more
than ajiother. He took particular care not
to foment the divifions which he found
amongft the people : His firfl difcourfe on
the Mount tended to calm their fplrits, and
to pronounce happinefs on the peaceable :
He declared that it was our duty to render
to Caefar the things which are Casfar*s, and
to God the things which are God's. He
difpelled from the minds of his difciples
every idea of power and dominion : He
abafed himfelf fo far, as even to wafh their
feet ; thus giving them the fineft leffon of
humility : He reprelTed the zeal of Petery
and voluntarily furrendered himfelf up to
thofe who came to apprehend him.

Jesus Christ is the great teacher of
love by his own example j humane, com-
paflionate : His heart was animated with an
^niverfal benevolence v/ortliy the Saviour of

maijkind.

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. ;S99

pnankind. To cure the fick, to comfort the
afBided, to inflrudl the ignorant, to rehevc
tjie unfortunate, to go from place to place
doing good, to preach the gofpel to the
poor — fee his only occupation ! His mi-
racles were not lefs adls of power than of
bounty. He converfed with finners, and
invited them to repentance. He healed their
bodies to perfecfl a better cure upon their
minds. His love embraced all ; Samaritan^
Jew, infidel, and believer. Diffembling hy-
pocrites only obtained from him the feverity
of cenfure.

He was mijd, and ready to pardon : Whea
his difciples would have caufed fire to fall
down upon a village which refuied to re-
ceive him, he reprefled their rage, and faid,
Te know not what manner of fpirit ye are of.
He was moved with compaffion, and flied
melting drops of pity over the ungrateful
Jerufalcm. He kiflied the traytor Judas, to
make him reflecl upon himfelf — a traytor,
who would not be moved by fuch behavi-
our! No complaints or invedives were heard
from him againlt his judges : filent when
the (oldiers treated him fliam-efully, he fuf-

fered

300 ^he Truth of the

fered himfelf to be led as a lamb to the
(laughter. Without complaint he endured
a dolorous punifhment ; with his laft breath
praying for his inhuman murderers!

Yet was he not infenfible : he felt all the
injuftice and barbarity of his enemies ; My
Father I if it be pojjible let this cup pafs from
me, — He did not brave death : he refigned
himfelf to it. He endeavoured not with
proud courage to fave himfelf from ignomi-
ny : he died with humility, fubmitting him-
felf to the will of God : he died with love,
regarding the good which his death was to
procure for men. The more we refled: upon
the circumftances of his death, the more we
difcern every character of humble innocence
joined with true magnanimity; and, to fpeak
humanly, w^ithout any regard to the itdiu
ments which faith infpires, ** nothing fo'
*^ grand and beautiful, fo fublime and afifed:-
*' ing, was ever feen, as the death of Jesus
'' Christ."

The- dec- ^^ IV. If we pafs to his dodrine, — what

trine or

Christ, wifdom, what holinefs, what fublimity \
^nd the ^ji jg worthy the mofl exalted reafon, and

prepara- j *

tion for the

liis ccra-

Chrijlian Religion "jhidicated, 30 j

the foundeft: philofophy. All is proportion-
ed to the miferies and the excellence of man.
Nothing is equal to the goodnefs of his mi-
niftry. He declared that he came to deliver
men from death eternal, to make them of
enemies, children of God ; to open to them
the doors of heaven, and to infurc them the
poflefljon. He brought to them the know-
ledge of falvation, and the dodrine of truth.
He nouriflied us from his own body ; he
waflied us from the defilement of our fin?,
by applying to us the price of his own blood.
In one word, he affured us, that he is our*
way, our truth, our life, our righteoufnels,
our redemption : — " Happy they who fo
*' embrace and receive him."

But if his life, and his dodlrine, prove
his divinity to us, all that which preceded
permits us not to doubt of it. Indeed he
was foretold and promifed to mankind from
the very beginning of the world. From the
moment Adam fell, he was declared the fu-
ture Redeemer. Through all the following
a^es, God, if we may be allowed the ex-
predion, appeared chicfiy employed in pre-
paring men for his coming. The circum-

ftances

fo2 The T^v TVL of the

flahccs by which Jesus Christ was fore-
told, are again more wonderful even tha;i
the predidtions themfelves. He was foretold
by an whole people, feparated for that end
by God from the reft of the world ; an-
nounced, during the fpace of four thoufand
years, by a long train of prophets, figured
out by all the ceremonies of the law, ex-
pedled by all the juft, and (hewn afar oiF,
throughout all ages. This mighty prepara-
tion was not for any particular or private
event : it was to introduce the bleffed re-
fource of a fallen and condemned world, the
ialvation of Ifrael, the legiflator of all people^
the light of all nations.

To the celebrity of the prophecies add
that of his miracles and mighty works, and
you will fee that his divinity fhines alike
brightly tTiroughout all. We may obferve,^
that in the ages preceding there appeared
upon earth extraordinary men, whom the
Lord feems to have made depofitaries of his
virtue and omnipotence > but when we ac-
curately confider them, all thefe diftinguifh-
ed perfons carry with them, even in their
very power, the marks of dependance and

wea'knefcV

Chrifiian Religion 'Dindicated. 303

weaknefs. Jesus Christ, on the con-
trary, performed all his grand and aflonifh-
ing works with an omnipotent facility, and
a fovereign indcpendancc.

§. V. But farther, can any one cafl his The life
eves upon the wonderful circumftances of^"^,^^^^^
the life of Christ, without being dazzled Chmst.
with that fplendor of divinity which accom-
panies them ? Conceived by the operation of
the moft High, he is born of a pure virgin :
fcarcely is he born, but the angelic hofta
make the air refound with fongs of Joy, and
inform us, that this birth briags glory to
God, and peace to men. Soon after, a new
ftar conducts to his humble cradle wife men
from the utmoft parrs of the eaft; a jufi:
and holy v/oman prophetically declares in
the temple the facred infant's future great-
nefs : the affembled dodlors behold with fur-
prize his infancy more iage and intelligent
than the wifdom of ancient men. In pro-
portion, as he advances in age, his glory un-
folds itfclf ; John the Baptilt (the greateft
of thofe born of women) humbles himfelf
before him ; heaven opens over his head ;
the Almighty Father pronounces him his

well-

204 ^^^ T R u T H of the

well-beloved Son, and propofes him as the
living and eternal Law, commanding all
men to hearken to his inflrudions. If from
^abor we pafs on to Cahar\\ that place
where he was to complete all the ignominy
of the fon of man, becomes the theatre of
his honour : all nature, in diforder, acknow-
ledges him there her author, and confefles
his divinity : three days after he rifes from
the deadj not by any extraneous power, nor
to die again liie other men ; but through
his own might, and from henceforth to pof-
fefs a hfe immortal. Finally, he afcends td
heaven — no chariot of fire, in a moment,
tranfports him from view ; he raifes him-
felf with majefly ; the angels go in triumph
before him, angels which promife him again
to the earth, furrounded with glory, and all
the dreadful pomp of future and trefnendous
judgment !

Now, who can fail to difcern in thefe
brief and imperfecl: traces, the God of hea-
ven,— the God who, after having con-
verfed with men, to refcue them from their
error and mifery, departs, to reaffume the
poffeffion of his glory ? Can we make the

fmalleft

Chrijlian Religion 'uindicafed, 305

fmallefl: reflexion upon this lliort fketch of
the God-man, the adorable Emmanuel,
without repeating with pleafure, and with
much confidence, thofe fine words of Rouf-
feau, ** If the life and death of Socrates are
*' thofe of a fage, the hfe and death of Jesus
*' are thofe of a God : — his gojpel hatli
*' marks of truth, fo grand, fo ftriking, ib
** perfedlly inimitable, that the inventor
" would be a more aftoniflnng character
" than the hero." Eloquent words, which
one cannot repeat without having at the
fime time a horror at the fcepticifm, which
immediately follows them, aiid at the con-
tradictions which are infcparable from it.

§. VI. Bat further let us remark, that The dlf-
as the mafters were difl'erent, fo were the^P^^^'^^^
fcholars : from whom, by the way, further and So-
arguments may be deduced in proof of'
the fuperlative excellence of the Religion
of Christ. Socrates, it is true, had
many for his difciples and followers ; fome
who have done him the higheft credit : but
not one amongft them, who was willing to
die for his mailer, and in attcftation of the
truths he taught. Mark the mighty differ-
U cncc !

cratci,

3c6 ' The Truth of the

ence ! Jksus had for his difciples thofc wha
maintained his principles even unto death :
thole who could not be fuppreffed by all the
threats, and all the panifhments of men, nor
detained by the ftrong prejudices wherein
they had been brought up. Nor were thofe
the immediate followers of Christ -, the
eye-witnefles only of his power and good-
nefs. This teftin^iony continued to be given
through fucceffive ages — given, not by the
mean and the unlearned only, but by men
of the firft credit, and the firft abilities —
the Ignatiufes, the Polycarps, the Juftins,
the Irenaeufes, the Cyprians, men of as much
knowledge as virtue, are reckoned among
the martyrs of Jesus Christ. They bor-
dered feveral of them upon the apoftolic
times, and confequently were well able to
inform themfelves of the truth of that wdiich
they fo folemnly and forcibly attefled. They
did not ignorantly incur thefe fuiFeringS; they
were fully affured of them ; they were clear-
ly informed of them, andenibraced the chri-
ftian faith with a clear forefight and fall ex-
pedtation of them. Their conftancy and firm-
nefs in fufFering cannot be attributed to va-
nity, interefl, or the principles cf education;

and

ChrijHan Religion -vlfhUcateJ. 307

and their confent to lutFcr tor their Rtrhgion
was too conlillent, firm, and general, to be
regarded as the effcdt of madnefs or enthu-
fiafiii. Their whole behaviour was regular^
fubcr, rational. It was God alone who fu-
ihined, and it was only God w^ho could
faftain them in the midd of fuch trying
confiids : they followed not the weakncfs of
human rej.fon, but the unfpeakable power
of the Almighty ; and therefore they con-
quered.

*' Who, faid Tertullian, can confider this
'' wonderful patience of the martyrs, wiih-
'^ out ferious reflexion, and a defire to be in-
*' formed of the motive which produced
" it?" It is manifefl: that the infinitely wife
defign of God, in infpiring this generous
contempt of life, was not only to prove to
what degree Chriftianity was divine, by the
conftancy and patience which it inculcated ;
but aho to lead the Pa2:ans, bv a method
almoil infallible, to the examination of a doc-
trine which excited fentiments fo fuperior to
nature. This admirable defii^^ii was anfwer-
cd. The moll obflinately flubborn faw,and
were farprized i examined, and were con-
U 2 vinced >

o8 T/j^ T R u T H (j/* the

vinccd ; and were no fooncr convinced than
they themfelves became confeffors ; and
fliortly, many of them martyrs for the
truth.

If the apoftles and followers of Jesus
Christ had only become hardy, fo far as
to defpife death -, men might have taken this
courage for fanaticifm, when they could dif-
cern in them neither wifdom nor difcretlon.
If the apoftles and followers of JesusChrist
had only made ufe of fine fpeeches, and ele^*
gant difcourfes, without conftancy and firm.
nefs in fufFering, men would have looked
upon their weaknefs as a contradiftion to
their dodrine. But, when they faw thofe^
who, at the firft, were timid, ignorant, bred
up in prejudices, ailume, on a fudden, a cha-
rader exalted, judicious, pathetic ; recom-
mend a virtue, ftridt, pure, and refined y
recom.mend it beft by their own praftice,
when they faw them facrifice all their dear-
eft temporal interefts to bring men to the
like perfuafion, of which all the fruit to
themfelves was, to make their converts tri-
umph in the worfiiip of the true God, in
'^uftice, charity, and temperance — when

they

ChriJliaJi Religion wtdicaicd, 309

they faw this -, they muii be led to confefs,
as indeed they did coniefs, ** that tliefe men
** indilputably were aduated by a divine
'* principle/'

§. VII. ** But there have been falfe mar- Martyrs.
*^ tyrs, — martyrs of error.'* — It is very
truci but let it be always noted, that the
errors of the falfe martyrs were not palpable
fa^Sy but ideas ; fyftems of their own in-
vention, to wTiich an opinionative vanity
fometimes attaches invincibly. The chri-
ftian martyrs were in a very different fituation.
For they maintained, not their own doc-
trine, not any fyftem of their own inven-
tion, but the dcflrine of Jesus Christ
himfelf, countenanced and ftrengthened by
miracles. The whole turned upon fadls,
plain matters of fadl, in which they could
not but be well informed. They all atteft-
ed ; they all died in atteflation and fupport
of the fame fads. Now there is no natural
reafon to be prejudiced in favour of fads, fo
as to abandon the moil: important felf-inter-
cfl. They maintained that Jesus Christ
had taught fuch and fuch dodrines ; had
performed fuch and fuch mighty works. A
U 3 teftimony

10 The Truth of the

teftlmony of this kind given even in death,
and death the mod formidable, given to
fafts in v^'hich they had no part, — could
not be fuggefted by vain glory ; or, to fpeak
more properly, it offers nothing which doth
not command affent and approbation. So
that the famous Pafcal might well fay of
the martyrs, '^ I freely believe v/ith them
** thofe evidences which caufed their death.*'
Enthufiafm we know may^ do much ; but
then it muft be in matters of fancy and ima-
gination : in thofe of fenfe and fadl it's power
is fmall, and hath never been known to in-
fluence more than one or two at a time to
believe they fiw that which they did not
fee. The argument, therefore, muft be
very weak, which founds itfelf on a fuppo-
fition, that fo great a number of perfons as
have readily given up their lives in the chri-
ftian caufe, who in all other refpe^fls were
worthy, fober, and rational, — that fo great
a number fhould imagine they had feen a
dead man raifed to life, or any other extra-
ordinary miracle, when in reality no fuch
fad: had ever been prefented to their eyes.

Thus

Chrijl'uin Religion ^vindicated, ^ r i

Thus the followers of Chrilllanity, who
voluntarily refigned their lives in tcflimony
of the fiich, afford us a ftrong evidence of
it's truth and divinity, without a belief of
which we can never account foi' their en-
during fuch fuffcrings in fo triumphant and
heroical a manner. This attcitation is mofl
ftrikinf];, and worthy of all attention. '' Let
*' any one, fays a celebrated writer, calmly
*' lay his hand upon his heart, and, after
** reading the terrible conflicts in which the
** ancient martyrs and confeffors were en-
** gaged, when they paffed through fuch
** new inventions and varieties of pain as
" tired their tormentors; and aik himfclf,
** however zealous and fincere lie is in his
** Religion, whether under fuch acute and
** lin2:erinr tortures, he could flill have held
" faft his integrity, and have profeffcd his
*' faith to the lall, without a fupernatural
*' afiiiVance of fome kind or other? For
" my part, when I confider that it was not
** an unaccountable obftinacy in a fingle
** man, or in any particular fet of men, in
'* fome extraordinary jundlure j but tnit
*' there were multitudes of each fcx, of
U 4 *' every

312 T^he Truth of the

*^ every age, of different countries and con-
*' ditions, who, for near three hundred
** years together, made that glorious con-
** feflion of their faith, in the midft of tor-
*' tures, and in the hour of death j I muft
^^ conclude, that they were either of ano-
** ther make than men are at prefent, or
** that they had fuch miraculous fupports
*' as were pecuhar to thofe times of Chrifti-
*' anity, when without them, perhaps, the
*' very nature of it might have been extin-
*' guiflied." — While it is evident, that thefe
fupernatural fupports afford the fuUeft proofs
of the Chridian Religion.

He proceeds, ''It is certain, that the
^* deaths and fufferings of the primitive
*' Chriftians had a great fhare in the con-
** verfion of thofe learned Pagans, who
*' lived in the ages of perfecution. They
" themfelves, many of them, tell us, that
" this firft of all alarmed their curiojfity,
" roufed their attention, and made them fe-
*' rioufly inquifitive into the nature of that
" Religion which would indue the mind
** with fo much ftrength, and overcome
** the fear of death, nay raife in them an

*' ©arneft

Chriflian Rellglcji vindicated.
•* earned dcfi/c of it, though it appeared in
** all ii's tericrs. This they fooiid had not
** been effecled by all the doiflrine of thofe
** philofophers whom they had thoroughly
" ftudied, and who had been labouring at
*' this great point. The fight of thefe dy-
** ing and tormented martyrs, engaged them
" to fearch into the hiftory and dodrine of
*' him for whom they fuffered. The more
" they fearched, the nv)re they were con-
" vinced ; till their convicflion grew fo
** ftrong that they themfelves embraced the
*' fame truths, and either adlually laid down
*' their lives, or were always in a rcadi-
" nefs to do it, rather than depart from
" them*/'

Thus, then, Jesus Christ triumphs
over all the philofophers and fages, all the
brighteft charadlers of the Pagan world, as
well by the lives and deaths of his imme-
diate difciples and followers, as by his own
immediate example, — nor can any other
charader, however worthy in itfelf, be
drawn into comparifon with him, without

3^3

• Sec Mr. Addifon's Evidences, p. 60.

ftiewing

314 ^he Truth of the

ilietving in a moment how infinitely fliort"
all human merit falls of the perfection of
the Son of God. Admit him to have been
the Son of God, and this will appear no-
thing extraordinary : deny hinr. ro have been
the Son of God, and it is utterly unaccount-
' able, beyond the folution of the acutefl rea-
foner, or fubtleft deiil- upon earth, that a
man born, or bred, like Jesus Chr ist,
fliould, in fuch a country, and at fuch an
early period of life, not only outdnne by
the luftre of his virtues all the w^ifcil: and
bed men in every part of the globe ; bat
by the purity of his dodrine fhould excel
2\\ that the united v^ifdom of man had ever
taught or enforced.

Evidences ■ §. VIII. We before obferved, that a flrong
truth^^of evidence arifes in proof of the divinity of
Chriftia- the Chriftiau Religion, from the moral cha-
t'he'cha-"' rafter, the life and death of Jesus Christ.
rafter of Yxovci the forep-oine remark it was evident.

Christ

— Let us purine the fubjed a litde further.

If we allow only the truth of the com-
mon hiftory of the New Teftament, or
even without having recourfe to it, only

fuch

Chrijl'ian Religion vinilicated, 31^;

fjch a part of the charadter of CiiRisT, as
neither ancient nor modern Jews, heathen?,
or unbelievers, feem to conteft only fuch a
part of the characfter as the fceptical RouiTeaLi
himfelf gives in the pafllige before quoted :
and it will be difficult, might we not fay it
will be impoffible, to reconcile fo great a
character, claiming divine authority, and an
immediate miffion from heaven, either with
the moral attributes of God, or indeed with
itfelf, upon the fuppofition of the falfliood
of that claim. It is not to be conceived
that the Father of mankind, the Almighty
God, would permit a perfon, apparently fo
innocent, and excellent, fo qualified to im-
pofe upon mankind, to make fo impious and
audacious a claim, without having fome evi-
dent mark of impofture fet upon him. Nor
can it, on the other hand, be imagined how
a perfon could be apparently fo innocent and
excellent, confidently fo in life and in death,
and yet at the fame time an infamous im-
pofture. To believe this would be to be-
lieve that light and darknefs could exift to-
gether 5 would be to believe the union of
the verieft contradidions in nature. It fol-
lows, therefore, fum hence, that Jesus

Christ

3i6 The T Kv r u of the

Christ muft have been what we fincerely
believe him, the Son of GoD^ and the Savi-
our of the world.

Let us again obferve, that, laying down
the prefent diforder of the moral world, and
the ncceffity of the love of God, and of
our neighbour, as well as of felf-annihila-
tion, in order to the pure and ultimate hap-
pinefs of man, there feems to be a neceflity
alfo for a fuifering Saviour. At leaft it may
be affirmed, that the condefcenfion of Jesus
Christ in leaving the glory which he had
with the Father before the foundation of
the world, and in fhewing himfelf a perfeS:
pattern of obedience to the will of God,
both in doing and fufFering, has a moft pe-
cuhar tendency to reftify the prefent moral
depravity of our natures, and to exalt us
thereby to pure and fpiritual happinefs. Now
it is very remarkable, that the evangelifts and
apoftles, the hiftorians of Jesus Christ
{hould have thus hit upon a thing which all
the greateft men among the heathens miff-
ed, and which however clear it does, and
ought now to, appear to us, was a great
{tumbling block to them, as well as to the

Jews;

Chrijllan Religion ijindicated. 317

Jews 5 the hrO:feeking after wifdom -, that Is
human philofophy and eloquence ; and the
laft requiring a fign, or a glorious temporal
Saviour. This again can no otherwife be
accounted for, than by admitting the reality
of the charadler, that is the divine miffioa
of Christ, and the confequent divine in-
fpiration of thofe who drew it ; i. e. the
truth and divine authority of the New Tefta-
ment. Indeed it ought here to be particu-
larly remarked, that our Saviour's intire de-
votion to God, and fuffering for the fake of
men, in compliance with his will, is a pitch
of perfedlion, which was never propofed, or
thought of, before his coming, much lefs
attempted or attained.

The manner in which the evangelifts
fpeak of Christ clearly fhews, tliat they
drew after a real copy, and confequently
proves the gcnuinenefs and truth of the gof-
pel hiftory. There are no diredl encomiums
upon it, no laboured defences, or recom-
mendations. His character arifes from a
careful impartial examination of all he faid
and did ; and the evangelifts appear to have
drawn this greateft of all charaders without

any

3i8 T/je Tkv T li of the

any dired defign to do it. Nay, th^y havd
recorded fome things, fuch as his being
moved with the paffions of human nature^
as well as being affedled by it*s infirmities,

^ which the wifdom of this world would ra-
ther have concealed. But their view was,
to (hew him to the people to whom they
preached, as the promifed Mefli^h of the
Jews, and the Saviour of mankind 5 and as
they had been convinced of this themfelves
from his difcourfes, actions, fufferings, and
jefurredlion, they thought nothing more was
wanting to convince fuch others as were fe-
rious and impartial ; but a fimple narrative

' of what Je^us faid and did. Now, if we
compare the tranfcendeat greatnefs of this
character with the indirecS manner in which
ic is delivered, and the illiteratenefs and low
condition of the evangelifts., it will appear
impoffible that they fliould not have had a
real original before them ; fo that nothing
was wanting but to record fimply and faith-
fully. How could mean and illiterate per-
sons excel the greateft geniufes, ancient and
modern, in drawing a charader? — Hov/
came they to draw it in an indiredl manner r
This i? without a queftion, one of the

flrongeft

ChriJliaJi Religion vindicated. 3if>

Itrongcil evidences of gcnuinenefs and
truih.

The charader of Christ, therefore, as
drawn by them, is genuine and true, — and
confequcntly proves his divine milTion, both
by it's tliperhiive excelleiKC, and by his lay-
ing claim to fuch a miflion *.

DISSERTATION VI.

The Christian, Mahommedan, and
Jfwish Religions compared, with a
View of the Prophecies.

§. I. '' y N Europe, fays Roufleaii, we The ar-
" i^ have three principal Religions gu^cnt
*' One admits only of one revelation, ano- andRouf-
** ther of two, and the third of three. Each *^^"'^ '"'

' _ ^ confiltcn-

** holds the others in detertaiion, anathema- cy fliewn.

** tizes their profeflbrs, and accufes them of

** ignorance, obllinacy, and fallhood. What

*' impartial perfon will prefume to decide

*' between them, wilhout having firfl exa-

** mined their proufs, and heard their rca-

** fons ? That which admits only of oiie

• Sec Hartley's Obfcrvations on Man, "\*ol. If.

'' revelatlor^

S2d The T R u T II of the

« revelation is the moft ancient, and feern^
*' the leaft difputablcj that which admits
" of three is the moil: modern, and feems
*' to be the moft confident ; that which
** admits of two, and rejeds the third,
*' may poffibly be the beft ; but it hath
•^ certainly every prepofieffion againft it :
•^ it's inconfiftency flares one full in the
'' face/*

Thus labours Rouffeau to overthrow thefe
three Religions, by oppofing the one againft
the other. He grants antiquity in favour
of the firft, and reprefents it as the moft
indifputable. The fecond, which is moft
modern, he agrees, is the moft confiftent.
As for the third, he has the grace to fay
that it jDay poffibly be the beft ; but then
he affirms, that it has every prejudice againft
it 3 and that it's inconfiftency is too obvious
to be overlooked.

This being the cafe ; proceed we to fheW
in the fubiequent Diflertation, that what ap-
pears thus obvious is not the inconfiftency of
the Chriftian Religion, but of Roufleau him-
fclf.

Now

Chrijiian Religion vindicated, 321

Now let us afk, How it is pofnble, if the
firil Religion iccms to be the vicj} iiidifpu.
table^ that the iecond can appear to be the
vmjl conjiflait ? Aiui how can the third be
poffibly tlie /?(/l, if it hath every prcpojpjjion
agaijiji it^ aJid ij it's inconfjlency jiarcs la
full in the face?

The end which this writer has in view
ieems to be the deftrudtion of all Religion
whatfoevcr. He dciircs to Ihow no more
favour to one than the other ; and he there-
fore fubtlly avails himlclf of one for the
dcmolifliing the rell:. Thus, his faying the
firil feems the leall: difputable, and the fe-
cond mod: confident, is nothing more than
ambiguoufly to affert, that they are neither
of them indifputable or confident ; and his
declaring that the third may polTibly be the
bed, but that it hath every prepoflcfiioa
againd: it ; and that it's inconfidency is glar-
ingly obvious ; is as much as to fay, that it
is the word: of all : and, confcquently, that
.•II of dicm ought to bo lejcLlcd.

X ^ To

3^2 The Truth of the

To defeat thefe frivolous cavils : It fhall
be our buiinefs to prove to RoufTeau, That
the Christian Religion is the moji micient
of all Religions : — That // is the mojl tjidif-
putable^ and the moft confijlent : and that fo
very far from having every prepolTeflion
sgainft it ; it has them all in it's favour. We
will fliew him, that the Jewish Religion^
fuch as it is at this day, is neither the moft
ancient, nor the moft indifputable : and that
ths Religion o/'Mahomet, very far from be-
ing the moft confiftent, is, on the contrary,
a glaring inconfiftency throughout, and hath
every prepoffeflion againft it.

The Ma- §• H. Let US begin with this laft propofi-

hometan ^j^^^ . ^p^j furely cverv reafonable man will

examined agree witli US in obferving, that it adds lu-

ultr"^' ftre to the divinity of the Rehgion of Jesus

w'lh the Christ, to place it in competition with

"^^' ^'^"' the Pvcliglon of Mahomet the impoftor. The

beauty and fanclity of the Chriftian Religion

will appear to a ft ill greater advantage, when

contrafted with the deformity, obfcurity, and

fenfuality of that of Mahomet.

Jesus

Chrijlian Rtliglon vhuiicateJ. ^f^

Jesus Christ comes into theworlil ; he
proves, by every cirjumd^nce of his life, that
he is the Mefliah, that great prophet pro-
mifcd by Mofes, and foretold by all the pro-
p4iets : he gives teftimony of what ho is,
and of the divinity of his mifHon, by an in-
finite multitude of miracles : he adds to them
a confiderablc number of prophecies, which
have all been exactly accomplitheJ. What
figure will Mahomet make in this view ?
Where are his miracles? Where are his pro-
phecies ? In which book of the fcriptures
v/as he foretold, unlcfs he be one of thofe
grofs impoflures whofe fnarcG and fedu^flions
they recommend to cs to avoid ? Mahomet
has not been able to fhew, either in his per-
fon or Religion, any real or apparent cor-
refpondence with pad ages ; nothing further
is neceffafy to induce us to reje<fl him ; be-
caufc, as we fl:iall fliow, every fedt which
cannot trace it's defcent from the beginning
of the v.'orld, cannot come from God?
The expedient which Mahomet hath hit
upon, in order to conceal the defect of his
innovation, is one of the moft fingular ima-
ginable. Having rcafon to fcar that no tefti-
X 2 monies

324 ^^^^ Trv r H of the

monies of his miffion could be traced out m
the fcrlptures of the Chriftians like thofe to
which Jesus Christ could refer in the
books of the Jews. He has advanced^ that
both Chriftians and Jews have mutilated and
faUified all their books : but he has not of-
fered the leaft fliadow of proof. It was ne-
ceflary that his perfoaffliould be foretold in
the fcriptures. It is, neverthelefs, moft cer-
tain that it was not foretold. They, there-
fore, according to Mahomet, are forged, and
contrary to all probability, his ignorant fol-
lowers, have believed upon his word that the
fact is fo.

But ought not Mahomet, at leaft, if he
wiflied to eftablifli a new ReHgion, to have
juftified his pretended warrant and million,
by fome miracle ? He not only fails to per-
form any fuch -, but he does not even boaft
the power to perform them 5 nor have his
difciples ever ventured to attribute fuch a
power to him. He perfuades his wife, and
his followers, that the agitations into which
he was frequently thrown, were a feries of
ufnal communications which he held with
the angel Gabriel. But what proof does he

give

Chnftuin Relizion vindicated.
give that they were fo ? Were Jiis agitations
and cYtafies a proof in thcmfelves ? How
many impoilors have done as much.

Mahomet pronounces his own condem-
nation, and proves to us the inconfillency
of his Religion. He acknowledges Mofes
as the meffenger of God : he declares the
iame of Jesus Christ : he always fpeaks
of Him with great refped: : he prefers him
to all the prophets: he calls him The Word
of God : His Power, HisWifdom, His Mind :
and he acknowledges, that his difciples were
holy perfonages. Mahomet then is an im.
poftor and a cheat; fince he promulges a
do6lrine diametrically oppofite to that of
Mofes and the apoftles ^ fince he endeavours
to fubvcrt that Religion which Jesus
Christ the meffenger of God, hath efla-
blifhed ; and fince he rejeds that dodlrine
which Jesus Christ hath preached to
mankind, in order to fubftitute a new one^
without any landion, and deflitute of any
proof of the milnon which he arrogates.

How blind muft he be who can venture

to compare Jesus Christ and his Reli-

. X 3 gioa

326 The T V.V r n of the

gion with Mahomet i and the do{flrinc which
he hath founded! Mahomet is a pander, '^a
robber, a mifcreant, who leads a life the
moft corrupt, and the moft licentious. The
whole life of Jesus Christ is the moft
pure, and the mofl irreproachable. He
comes to combat every vice, and to fup-
prefs every irregularity : his morality in every
particular bears the ftamp of his divine na-
ture. He therefore has -no fear, in expof-
ing his conduct to the fcrutinizing view of
the mofl clear fighted : he conceals nothing:
he publicly declares whatever he would ut-
ter : he would have the whole world un-
derftand what he teaches : he commands his
diiciples to proclaim upon the houfe top
whatever they may have learned from hirri
privately within the houfe. After his refur-
rcftion', he caufes that dodrine which he
had laid down as the bafis of his Religion,
to de dfepofited in authenticated books of re^
cord j and requires that thefe books be put
into the Hands of ^11 the v/orld > exhorting
all mankind to read them. But how very
different a condufl: is that of Mahomet I He
lorefa4' &c whole horrid nature of his doc-
trine : he was even a{hanied of it himfelf .
" ' " '' ''and

Chrijlian Religion 'vindicated. 327

ind therefore he defired it to be burled 111
the obfcurity of a profound ignorance. A
political fi lence and fecrecy which this Icgi-
flator prelcribed, have been employed to
conceal the abfurdities of his tenets. He
prohibits the reading of his books, for fear
his terrified followers {hould rife up to op-
pofe fo repugnant a dodtrine, and open their
eyes to the dclufions of their feducer.

Who, indeed, can fupport the pcrufal of
a dodtrine fo horrible as that of Mahomet?
To flop only at a fingle inftance, which is
the bafis of all the reft. Is not one ftruck
with horror, on obferving that infamous
beatitude which Mahomet propofes to his
followers as the objed of their hopes ? No-
thing is more important or eflential in a Re-
ligion, than clearly to fpecify what is that
recompence which it enfures, as the term of
all the duties it prefcribcs : — faying, fuch
is tlije end j fucli are tha^ means : — Now
v/hat is more impious, what more dctcftabic
than the end and beatitude of Mahomet's
Religion ? A chade tongue dares not fpeak
of them, chade ears cannot apprehend
jhem. We muft become as fenfual as beads
X 4 to

328 The Truth of the

to reliih them ; and as debauched as devils
to approve them. The God who could
promile fuch a beatitude, would only de-
fer ve the execration of mankind.

What an inexpreffible difference between
that beatitude and recompenfe, which is
promTfcd by Jesus Christ ro his difciples?
The happinefs which the latter enfures to
his difciples after this life, confifts in a full
and pe»-fed: enjoyment of that God whom
they have ferved here below. All their oc-
cupation in the manfion of glory {hall be to
praife him, to adore him, and to contem-
plate his infinite perfedlions : made like the
angels, they ihall no longer be allured by
the feduftions of concupifcence : all within
them fliall be inperfecl harmony : nor fhall
they covet any other pleafures than inceffant-
iy to clieriQi in their fouls the confolations
and graces of immortal truth. Their hearts
will be abforbed in the torrent of thofe de-
lights, which it fliall coniinually afford them:
always contented, always fatisfied, without
ever being __fatiai;ed : they fliall everlaflingly
imbibe new pleafures from the holy tran-
fports of their love.

Such

Chnjlian ReIigio?2 vindicated. ^.iq

Such are the great objeds which Chrifti-
anity propofes, and which are all worthy
the purity the excellence, the divinity of
fuch a Religion. The: paradife of Maho-
met, on the contrary, is a paradife of flefli
and biood, of voldpvuoufnefsand debauchery.
M^n are there to be only employed in gra-
tifying .he moft corrupt defires. All their
delights are to conliit in plunging themfelves
amidft the moft impure indulgencies ; moft
unworthy the fandity of God, and the ex-
cellence of the human nature.

Which now of thefe two doftrines bears
the facred charadlers of divinity ? — Will
Roujfeau be daring enough to affert that Ma-
homet's can proceed from God? That
Roufleau, who very rationally requires, that
fuch a doBrine^ as a proof of that divine ori-
ginal, (hould hear the facred cbaraSiers cf the
divinity ; and that it Jlmild alfo furni/1: us
with a fyjiem cf Religion and v:oralityy fiiit^
able to thofe attributes by which only wefortn
a conception of his e fence. Since then the
Religion of Mahomet teachc^ us fuch tlmgs
€nly as are abfurd and irrational, I fhall fey

$30 neT^vrvL of the

to his Followers, after Rouffeau, " Xour God
** is not our God*.'*

Ancn-^ §. III. If, again, vrt confider the man-
?oufe'"'^^J" in which Jesits Christ eftabliflied
manner his Religioi), and Compare it with the means
the Ma- made ufe .of by Mahoniet for the founding
and chd- ^^^ extending of his own ; how aftonlfhing
ftian Re- is the contraH ! All Is divine ^nd inimitable
wereVo-O^ the fide of Jesus Chrjst : all human
pagated. ^^^j diabolical on the part of Mahomet.
Jesus Chjiist lays the foundations of his
Religion in the power of his niiracles^ and
the virtue of his fuiFerings. Humility, gen-
tlenefs, and patience, pave jthe way for his
gofpel : he endeavours but to perfuade :
twelve poor men, ignorant, illiterate, and
unarmed, form his whole train pf followers :
he only infpires his difciples v/ith humility,
a love of fuferings, a contempt of the world,
and a flight from it's pomps and .vanities y
union, peace, and a fiibmiffion to ail who
are jn Authority, — - He attacks all the pre-
judices of flefii and blood ; and oppofes man
in all that his carnal nature holds moft dear :

* Tom, in, p. 148, 149.

Cbrijiian Religion vindicated. ^51

he preaches to him nothing but the denial
of himfclf ; and promifes him nothing in
his prefent ftate, but erodes and tribulations.
What fubhmity, what aullerity in his mo-
rality ! How grating to thole hearts, who,
till then, never knew any thing but to in-
dulge their paflions ; and who hved only to
gratify every irregular propenfity of a cor-
rupt nature ! Yet neverthelefs, with fuch a
dodrine he undertakes, by the minillry of
his apoftles, the converfion of the whole
univerfe -, and fends them forth as lambs in
the midft of wolves, amongft adverfaries of
every kind, inftigated and armed to oppofe
them. They everywhere meet with rehft-
ance and contradidtion -, and yet thefe men,
men of no reputation^ unaided by the leaft
human protecftion or fupport • by means of
their invincible patience, inexpreffible fuffer-
ings, and indefatigable labours ; bring about
their divine Mafter's purpofe, form a mul-
titude of Chriftians ^ and extend on every
fide, the dodlrine of the gofpel, and faith
in the name of Jesus Christ. The fame
r^ans which were employed to eftablifh this
Religion, contribute Itill as well to it's de-
fence, as to it*s advancements The more it

1%

332 The Truth of the _

is hated, the more it multiplies. The death
of millions of martyrs, who poured out their
blood in it's caufe, ferve but to increafe and
render ii the more illuftrious : perfecutions
and fufterings, which were ere while it's
Cradle, become it's ftrength and bulwalk ;
and by thefe it triumphs over all it's enemies,
leagued together to effedl it's deflruftion.

But Mahomet adopts quite another con-
dud : his aftions are thofe of a mere man ;
he does no more than what the moft flagi-
tious of men had done before him ? Nor is
there a fkilful impofture who may not imi-
tate him in every particular : he plants his
fedl with fire and fword in hand : his fol-
diers are his apoftles ! and force and violence
the means he makes ufe of to work perfua-
iion. He" converts nations, by killing thofe
who oppofc him : he deceives people who
are moft profoundly ignorant : he takes ad-
-vantage of the divifions in his neighbour-
hood, to extend, by force of arms, a Reli-
gion, wholly fenfual : he brings men over by
foothing their paflions, and feduces them,
by propofmg nothing which is contrary to
their luftful inclinations. In fliort, his doc-
trine

Chrijllan Religion linJicateJ. 333

trine encourages almofl: every licentious pro-
penfity. What is there marvellous in all
this behaviour r — We behold th^ou^hout
the triumph of violence and craft, of lufl:
and the paffions. The whole condudl of
Jesus Christ, on the contrary, only pre-
fcnts to our view the triumph of charity, of
patience, and every other virtue.

^. IV. The ftrongeft ars^ument which O^ t^« ^
Mahomet can bring in defence or his feet, the Ma-
is the fuccefs of his arms, and the wide ex- J^""?^^^

' Religion.

tent of his empire. But what is there ex-
traordinary in that, or more than human ?
Is not Alexander the Great, who, in the
compafs of a dozen years, made himfelf ma-
tter of half the globe, beyond comparifon a
more admirable perfon than Mahomet in
that progrefs, which his fe6t made in a much
longer fpace of time ? And had not the Ro^
inans^ who, as they became mafters of the
grcatcft part of the univerfe, extended, with
their conquefts, the worfliip of their Gods;
liad not they as much right as Mahomet to
conclude, from the progrefs and rapidity of
their conquefts, the divinity of their Reli-
gion, and of the Gods whom they worHiip-

cd f

334 ^^^ t K V T K of fSe

cd ? There is nothing, therefore, furprifing
in the eftablifhment of the Mahometan Re*
ligion, fince it gained an introdudlion only
through the means of violence, ignorance,
and luft. It is nothing ftrange that human
eaiifes fhould produce an human effeftj
which is fo well adapted to them : but in
the progrefs and eftablifhment of the Chri-
ftian Religion, all is wonderful and aftonifli-
ing ! In (hort, thefe two Religions are fo
efTentially different in every refpedl, that no
unprejudiced perfoh can hefitate to join the
celebrated Pafcal, in his juft obfervation, that
" If Mahomet, humanly fpeaking, took the
^* way to fucceed, Jesus Christ, humanly
" fpeaking, took the way to perifh ; and^,
^* inftead of concluding that, becaufe Ma-^
" hornet fucceeded, Jesus Christ ought
** in like manner to have fucceeded 3 we
^^ ought to fay, that fince Mahomet fuc-
^* ceeded, Chriflianity muft inevitably have
«^ perifhed, had it not been fupported by a
*' a power a:I together divine."

i^ouiTeau §. V. Can anV one after this, Without

and tife indignation and horror, hear RoulTeau ex-

ciiriiiian prefs himfclf as follows : '' At Conftanti-

ci '' noj^le

Chrljlian Religion vindicated. 33^

nople the Turks make known their rca-
fons ; but we dare not publilh oars : there
it is our turn to fubmit. If the Turks
require us to pay to Mahomet, in whonl
vvc do not beHeve, the fame rcfped; which
we require the Jews to pay to Jesus
Christ, in whom they bcHeve as little i

^' Can the Turks be in tlie wrong, and we
'' in the right ? On what principle of equity
*' can we refolve the queftion in our own
*' favour i"

He is not a true Chriftian who fubmits at
Conftantinople, or any where elfe. Every
true Chriflian is alw^ays ready to give an ac-
count of his faith wherever he may be. To
diffemble would be to betray it. For a Chri-
ftian to conceal his Religion is facrilege : he
ought to be ever difpofed to confefs him
whom he adores ; nor can he blufh to. do (o^
without renouncing his profeflion ; and why
fliould he be fearful to give a reafon for his
embracing that faith which is built on fuch
folid foundations ? How little does RouiTeau
undcrftand the true fpirit of Chrillianity ?
Were the Chriflians, who formerly lived
amongft the Pagans, ailiamcd to avow and

main-

336 ^he T R u t H of the

maintain their profeflion. Did they not offer'
their reafons, with an undaunted fortitude,
in many glorious apologies, in crouded tri-^
bunals, at the feet of Judges, and of em-
perors. Did they not publifli them with art
unfhaken courage and conftancy, in the midfl:
of mofl terrible torments, and puniihments
the moft inhuman? ''We openly declare it,
*' cried TertuUian, we fpeak it in the face
** of all mankind, and amidfl the moil fear-
** ful tortures, with bodies torn to pieces,
*' and ilreaming with blood, and with all
*' the powers of our fouls, we proclaim that
*^ we adore God through Christ." Every
Chriftian who is not difpofed to imitate thefe
illdftrious exam.ples of faith in our fore-
fathers, and can fubmit at Conflantinople ;
from thenceforward ceafes to he a true Chri-
jftian, and is unworthy of the name he bears.
But can Rouffeau be ignorant, that a multi-
tude of Chriftians have freely acknowledged
Jesus Christ, and given up their lives in
his caufe, as well amongft the Turks as
amongft the Heathens.

Whatever we have been hitherto advanc-
ing in fiipport of the Chriilian Religion, and

the

Chripan Religion vindicated. JJ?

the proofs we have offered of the falrtiood
of that cftabhihcd by Mahomet ; all thcfe
arguments fully anfwer ihe infidious quef-
tion propounded by Roufieau. It is clear,
that the Turks have no right to require us
to pay to Mahojiict^ In icbom ive do not be^
lieve, the fame refpect ivhich ice require the
Jews to pay to Jesus Christ, /// 'whom
they believe as little, Muft not he labour
under the grofleil ignorance, to alk us, Can
the Turks be in the wrong, and we in the
right ? On what equitable principle fliall we
refolve this quellion ? I, on my part, will
beg to afk Roulleau, on what principle of
equity can he propofe fuch a queflion ? Do
we need fuch a one in order to refolve it ?
What parity or refemblance can Rouffcau
find, between two Religions fo effentially dif-
proportionate ? We do not claim a right to
force the Jews to pay Jesus Christ the
fame refpedt with ourfelves, as the ?/Iaho-
mctans do claim a right of exading in fa-
vour of Mahomet. It is unworthy of the
Chriftian Religion to make ufc of violence,
and to extort that faiih which it requires. It
is only eftablifJK'd by means of fufterings
and humility, of patience, and the ftrength
of it's arguments ; and by fuch means only

ought

550-' .?5/ T K U T H ^ ih€

ouglit it to be maintained: ail thofe who
employ any others, in order to extend it's
afithority, cannot be animated with the fpi-
rit. of it's firfl: founders | but would openly
wound the very cilence and principles of
Chrillianity.

cbrUVcaas §, Yl. But then wc, Chndlans, do pre-
fecii^t "^^^^^ i'^ ^^^"'^ deciiive argumentSj and proofs
w^{ to Qf j|-j£ fuilefl: evidence, whereby to encase

cimvmce t ^ i

the Jews: the Jcws to pay to JESUS Christ that re-
t^em ?<l- fp^^» worfliip, and adoration, which we
\uac&d. : ourfclves render him. And we alfo pretend
Keisjnon to prove to them, that Jesus Christ is
moll ai;- ^j.^j. Meffiah whom their whole law hath

citnt.

figured out, and foretold : that Meffiah,
whom they have ever expelled, and do flill
wait for, but in vain : and laftly, we pre-
tend to demonftrate to them, that the Chri-
flian Religion is wholly founded upon the
law and the prophets; and the fame in point
of fubftance with that of the Jews before the
coming of Christ, and of the Patriarchs,
jufl men, and faints, in all ages of the world.

It is efientlal to the true Religion, that it
be as ancient as the world. God having

created

:^

Chrifllan ReHglon vindicaied, 339

created man, and formed him after Ills own
image, did, without doubt, ihew him, from
the beginning, ihe true mctliod how to ferve,
and to pleafc him ; io that every Religion
which cannot trace back it's fiicceflion up to
the o. iginal of the world, cannot come from
God : on the contrary, that Religion which
comprifes the whole duration of time, hatli
certainly God for it's author. Now fucli
is the charader of the Cbrijlian Religion.

If Jnsus Christ is the McfTiah, an-
nounced by the prophets, it follows from
thence that this Religion draws it's original
from heaven, and is as ancient as the world;
that it has ever exilled, and that it has only
a new name. This is the Religion of Adam,
of all the faints before the law, of Abraham,
of the other Patriarch, and of tlie w^hole
nation of the Jews. All the children of
God have ever believed that which we be-
lieve ; hoped for that which wc poflefs, and
cxpeded what we fee. They were fandi-
hcd by believing that the Mcfiiah 'would
come, as wc ourfelves are, by the confi-
dence that he u come. The fame grace
which was given by Jesus Christ tons,
Y 2 Avas

340 ^he Truth of the

was alfo communicated to them by his aii-
ticipated merits ; all their views, and all their
defires, were direded towards this grand ob-
ject. The whole Jewifli difpenfation was
but the forerunner of this great advent. Their
facrifices, theix law, and their ceremonies, all
tended to this one accomplilhment. Their
fole purpofe was, to prepare the way for the
Messiah, and to render a rude and un-
polifhed people fenhble of myfteries too
fublime for their comprehenfion ; they were
as a veil under which he was concealed, and
which difappeared in proportion as he ma-
nifefted himfelf : confequently, if Jesus
Christ be the Messiah, the Chriftian
Religion is as ancient as the world, fince
in all ages Jesus Christ, either expected
or given, has been the object of hope and
confolation to all true worfliippers of God ;
fince the fame God has been always acknow-
ledged as the principle of all things, and the
fame Christ as the reftorer of the human
race. Jesus Christ is the central bend
which fo unites the two people, as to make
of them but one. The Religion of nature
prepares the way for the law : the law pre-
cedes the gofpel : the fucceffion of Mofes

and

Chnjlian Religion vinJlcafed, 541

and the Patriarchs, makes but one and the
fame fcries with that of Jesus Christ.
It is a known token of the MefTiah, that he
be cxpedlcd, that he come, and be acknow-
ledged by a porterity wliich may continue to
the end of the world. Jefiis Chriji is the
JaniQ yejlerday^ to-day^ and for ever. Heb.
xiii. 8.

It will be fufficient for us, therefore, to
fliow, that Jesus Christ is the true Mes-
siah, in order to conclude at the fame time
that the Chrirtian Religion is the moft an-
cient, and confequently the only genuine
Religion in the world. Let us examine, by
the books of the Jews themfelves, what the
characters of the Messiah ought to be, and
we ihall find that they perfeftly agree in the
perfon of Jesus Christ.

§. VII. In the firfl: place, the time and ^^^^^
circumfiances of the McfiaU s comiiig^ are de- ^''^^^'st
cifivc in favour of Jesus Christ. be the

from a

The famous prophecy of Jacob, exprcfly ticw of
figniftes, that the fceptrc, i. c. the authority, ./^^^f J/'
Jhall not depart from fiidah^ nor a law-giver

Y 3 from

342 The Truth of the

from between his feet , until Shilo, whq
MUST BE SENT, /hall come ; and unto him
Jhall the gathering of the people be. Gen,
xlix. 10. All the ancient Jews unanimoufly
agree, that this predidion refpedls the Mef-
liah, and moO: of the moderns think fo too.
But befides this, the terms of the prophecy,
clearly defcribe the Meffiah. It is evident
that Jacob fpeaks of him, who had been
promifed by his foreflithers \ him, who was
to be the expeftation of all nations, and in,
and through whom they were to be bleffed.
The only queflion, therefore, which re-
mains. Is, whether the Jews, and the tribe
of Judah in particular, were, at ihe coming
of Christ, and ftill are, in the condition
fpecified by the prophecy *,

Now it is certain that the tribe of Judah,
at the time when^^Jcsus Christ firft ap-
peared in the world, had loft it's pie-emi-
nence, and that the Jews in general, no lon-
ger held the authority to govern themfelves
JDy their own magiftrates, inverted with a
power over life and death. They themfelves

* See Bifhop Sherlock's DilTert. on that prophecy.

publicly

Chrtjlian Religion ^lylndkai'sJ, 343

jHiblicIy avow it, when, on demanding of
Pi fate the execution of Christ, they de-
clare that it is not permitted them to -put any
me t9 death * ; and by crying oat, '^c have
na oiba^ king than Cafar ; they cpznly ac-
knov^•l•edgcd Jesus Ch r i s t for the Mef-
iiah, iincc they had no longer a king or go-
vemor of their own nation, and even wouid
have no other than the ftranger, who gc>-
verned theaa at that tinie.

In order to prevent every difliculty, it is
of confeqiience to remark^ that la all other
jevolution?, which had happened to the
people of the Jews, and notwithfranding the
various ftates through which they Iiad paft
edj they always kept together, ho\¥ever, as
a regular body of people, and were always
feen to have kings, or magiftratcSj or judges,
of their own nation, for their government.
But at the coming of Jesus. Christ the
kingdom of Jadali falls into ruin, and is ut-
terly aboliihcd, and the whole people of the
Jews expelled from the land of their fore-
fathers, without hope of return. Nor is

• John xviii. 31,.

Y 4 th»5

>'44 ^^^ Truth gJ the

0

this extreme and dreadful defolation a mere
tranfmigration like that of Babylon, nor a
fufpenfioa only of the government and
people of God : but ')X is an entire, an ab-
folute extinction of every kind of rule or
authority from amongft them ; and, which
is an unheard of inftance, it lafls for 1700
years. Jesus Christ is therefore the
Mefiiah.

While Daniel is employed in contemplat-
ing the captivity of his people at Babylon,
and thofe fevcnty years to which God had
determined to confine it's continuance, amidft
the vow^s he offered up for the deliverance
of his brethren ; he is all on a fudden ele-
vated to objeds more important. Inftead of
the feventy years, foretold by Jeremiah, he
difcerns feventy weeks, which were to com-
mence from the iffuing of the edid: of ^r-
faxerxes Longimama^ in the twentieth year
of his reign, for the rebuilding the city of
Jerufalem. On the conclufion of thefe
weeks is fixed the remiffion offms, the eter-
7ial reign of jujlice, the entire accompli fbment
of prophecies^ and the unBion of the holy of
holies, Th'<Lt after the fixty -nine firf ijceeks

Chrijt

Chri/lian Religion vindicated, 345

Chrijljhall appear^ and publijl:} his mijjion, and
be put to death', a violent death. Occi-
DETUR, BE CUT OFF. One weck is dil-
tinguiilied above all the reft ; this is the ie-
ventieth and laft \ that in which Chrijl is to
be facrijicedy in which the covenant is to be
confirmed ; and in the midfl of which facri-
Jice and oblations are to ceafe. After the
Death of Christ, the people luhich hath
renounced him, is to be no more his people ;
nothing is to be feen but horror and confu-
fion. T^he city and the fanEiuary are de^
Jlroyed \ a foreign people ivith it's prince are
Jent to demoUfl:> it entirely. For abomiyiation
is in the temple ^ and nothing but an univerfal
defolation can conclude the war.

The weeks of Daniel, changed into weeks
of years, according to the fcripture method ;
and in like manner with the weeks of the
BabyloniQi captivity, make together 490
years, which, from the time of the edidl
iffued by Artaxerxes, brings us precifely to
the lafl week in which Jesus Christ ex-
ercifed his public miniflry -, and wherein by
his death he put an end to facrifices under
the law, accomplillied it's figurative types,

and

.46 Tli^e Truth cf the

and founded his church. Different compa-
lations may be made of thefe weeks ; but
leckon how we will, they muft necefl^rily?
terminate with Jesus Chr ist. For Gai>
Iiath removed every difliculty which could
pofiibly arife, by a decifion which admits
of no reply, A manifefl: event places us
above the reach of all the evafive cavils of
infidelity. The total deftrudion of Jerufa-
|em,. and the Jews, which fo clofely follow-
ed the death of Jesus Chrjst, and that
jighteoufnefs and remiflion of fins declared
to all people in his name, muft conftrain
the moft obdurate to acknowledge in his
perfon the accompliihment pf the prophecy.

While the fecond temple was buildings
the old men, who had ic^n the firft, burfl:
into tears, on comparing the meannefs of
this latter edifice with the magnificence of
the former. The prophet Haggai, enlight-
ened with a divine ray, is tranfported into
future times ; and endeavours to confole
them. He publiflies the future glory of
this fecond temple, and declares, that it
fiall far exceed that of the firjl ; and the
reafon which he gives for this affu ranee is>

Chrijl'ian Religion vhidlcated. 347

that the defire of all nations Jhall come, and
(hall appear in this new temple •, that peace
fiall be eJlabUjhcd there ; that the ivhole world
in agitation fliall bear teftimony to the com-
ing of it's Redeemer 5 and that there is but a
Httle while to come, to hold them in ex-
pedl:ation of the event.

Malachi alfo beheld the c;lorv of the fe-
cond temple, and the Meinah who fliould
lionour it with his prefence : Behold 1 a wcf-
frngcr is feut to prepare the ivay before him.
But he who declares it is a melTenger of an
order entirely new -, a meflcnger who is the
Lord, who enters into the temple, as into
the place of his ordinary refidence ; an en-
voy, ivhoni all the people defire and delight in^
who comes to perfecft a new alliance, and
who, for that reafon, is (tiled, by way of
eminence, The Mcfjenger of the Covoiant :
And fnddenlyy fiys the prophet, fJ:all you
fee him come into his te?nple , even the Lord
lihoni ye feek , even the Mcjjaiger of the Co^
venant in whom ye delight. It is plain that
the MefTiah is fignificd by thcfe two pro-
phecies ; He alone can give peace to man-
kind, by reconciling tlx:ni to God: He alone

is

4S T/je T R u T n of tJje

is the defire of all nations : He alone is that
Lord who can have a temple [his tewple\:
and, laftly, He alone can, by his prefence,
communicate to the fecond temple, a glory
which may furpafs and efface that of the
firPc. Now, but a few years after the death
of Jesus Christ, who had fo often ap-
peared in the fecond temple, and who had
there fo frequently difplayed the glory of
his wifdom and power ; this temple was en-
tirely deftroyed. It has, therefore, received
the glory which was promifed to it : the
MefTiah is come: and Jesus Christ is
that Meffiah -, fince in His name peace hath
been announced, and procured for manhind ;
and all nations ftirred up, and violently agi-
tated, have felt the happy confequences of
his coming.

If from hence we defcend to that im-
menfe detail of prophecies which paint forth
all the different charaders of the Meffiah,
every circumftance of his life, and the whole
feries of his adlions, can any one ftill hefitate
to acknowledge that divine perfon in Jesus
Christ ?

Can

Chrtjlicn Religion vindicated. 549

Can any one help feeing Jesus Christ
in all thefe prophecies, which paint out the
very name of the Mefliah, his origin, the
manner and the place of his nativity, his
miniftry, his works, and the miracles which
accompany him, his humiliations, his paf-
fion, his death ? — The confequences and
effedls of his fufferings, v/2:. the calling ot
the gentiles to the faith, and the deftructioii
of the Jewifh nation ? Let us flop here, and
view the moft important and exprefiive of
thofe prophecies, and we jfhall be forced to
grant that the prophets, in drawing the por-
trait of the Meihah, have painted Jesus
Christ with the greatcft exacftnefs.

The fufferings, and flate of abjeclnefs,
to which Jesus Christ reduced himfelf
for our fakes, and his unparalleled humilia-
tions, became to the Jews a matter of re-
proacli ; and induced them to difown him
as the Mefliah. But what ought particu.
larly to have engaged them to receive him,
and to conclude that he was the Mcf-
fiah, is, that lie united with thofe all the

other

55a The Truth of the

other circumftances which charaderized that
facred perfon.

The prophets, in defcribing the magniti-
eence and fplendor of the Mefliah, have not.
concealed the difgraceful circumftances of
his charadler. They have i^cn him fold *.
They knew the number and the ufe of the
thirty pieces of filver with which he was
bought '(-. They have declared that the
fcpherd JJjould be fmitten^ and the floeep
fcattered \^ at the fame time that they faw
him great aiid exalted ||, they alfo faw
him difgraced, ^-Jpf^i ^'^^ lightly efieemed
a??wngji men j the ajhnijhment of the world^
as much by his meannefs, as by his gran-
deur; the leaf ajnongf men ^ a man of for ^
rows \ loaded with our iniquities ; beneficent y
yet negkcled 5 di figured by his wounds^ and
thereby healing oars ; burdened with ignominy y
efieemed rather as a worm than a man §, giv
i?ig himjelfup to the [miter ^ and not hiding
his face from thofe who covered him with in--
juries y ajid jpat upon Jinn -, treated as a cri-

* Zech. XI*.

f Lam. ill.

\ ZecTi. xlii.

Ifai. H. lii.

^. Ibid. I.

imnal ;

Cljrijlian Religion vindicjhd. 35^

TTiinal ; a7id led to punijhment loitb the izncl:--
ed ; ami deli'vcring himfclf as a lamb, peace-
ably, to the jldughte)\ ivithout havim^^ any
one to make his defence^. They {)X\v a Icng
fojlerity Jpring from him^ through his juffer*
ings -j-. And the converfion of the impiom
become the fruit and reijcard of his deaths
David iees his hanJs and his Jeet pierced ^
all bis bones vijibly faring through his fkin^
by means of the weight of his body, being
violently lufpended. He fees his garments
divided \\^ lots caf for his robe, his mouth
drenched icith vinegar and gall , his enemies
infulting around him ^ and glutting their cruel
rage in his blood ; jefi/i^ at his patience, and
bis confdence in God. And, which clearly
proves that all this is meant of the Mefliah,
he alfo, at the lame time, like Ifaiah, fees,
as the reward of all his humiliations, all
:th ends of the earth remember themfelves^
and turn unto their God ; — that God who,
for fo many ages had been forgotten. He
fees the poor come firit to th table of the Mef^
fiah, and, after them, \\\^ rich and the po'io-
£rjul, to blcfi and adore him-, hc^ mean while^

• D.in. ix. f lui. liii. I Pfal. xxiJ.

^j Pi'al. Lxviiu

pre-

35^ 7/^^ T R u T H of the

prefiding in the great and numerous churchy
that is, in the congregation of converted
nations 3 a?2d there declaring to his brethreii
the name of Go d^ and thefe everlailing
truths. No one can urge, that there is not
in all thefe paffages a diredl reference to the
Meffiah; Him, of whom Ifaiah declares,
that He voluntarily bore all our iniquities j
and fiiffers only becaufe he is icillingfo to do.
All we like flieep had gone aftray j and he
is pierced ivith aff.iclions for cur mifdeeds :
ive have every one folloijoed his own way, and
the Lord hath fmit ten and bruifed him for the
expiation of our crimes^ and to procure peace
for our fouls. Can fo illuftrious a character
as this agree with any other than the Mef-
fiah ?

Thus have the Jews, by caufing Jesus
Christ to fuffer and to die, eiven the
finifhing mark of the MelTiah's charadler;
and affixed the laft feal to the accomplifh-
ment of thofe prophecies which refpedted
him. Is it poffible for us then to miflake,
or overlook Jesus Chr I ST, when the Jews
have thus, in every particular, treated him,
as the Meffiah was to be treated ? How dear

and

Chrijllan Religion '-jijidicated. 5^3

and precious ought his fuffbrings to be to us,
fince they are the price and ranfom of our
fouls ; and fince he only fullered, becaufe
he was gracioufly inch'ned to charge himfelf
with ail that immenfe debt which we owed
to the Divine Juftice !

The knowledge of G o d diffufed over
the whole univerfe ; the converfion of the
gentiles; and the bleffing on all nation?,
fo long ago promifed to the patriarch Abri-
ham ; are all pointed out by the prophets,
as the certain evidence and fruit of the com-
ing of the Meffiah. They pronounce in the
mod fplendid terms that benedifbion which
fhould be fhed abroad upon the gentiles by
his glorious advent : this branch ofjejfe *,
appears to Ifaiah as an enf.gn Jet up by Gcd^
for the ajfembllng of his people^ end for the
gentiles^ to the end they may call upon it 3 and
he jhall ijcaf: th:m^ fays he, li^ith an hoh
fprinkling '\' . That which loas never t:ld
them Jhall they fee ; tbofe zcbo have not fear ch~
ed^ Jhall find fjim ; and they *u:ho knno hint
not Jhall be called upon to ccmtemplate his rx-

• Ifai. xl. t \h\. Hi. liii bnr.

Z ceiiincies.

2 r^ T7je Truth of the

cellencies. He is gheii for a untnefs to the
fevple *, dnd for a leader^ and a commander
tv the gentiles ; and unto himJlMll the nations^
from all partly he affembled. He Jl:all InJiruB
the gentiles in righieotf:efs : He foall be their
light : He fljall open the eyes of the blind 'f^
and bring the pr if oners out of captivity. Un-
der his glorious reign y the Ajjyriam^ and the
/Egyptians %y together ivAth the Ifraelitesy
fiall tio longer be but as one and the fame
people of Cod : He fiall become the author
cf fahation to all the ends of the earth. The
fiat ions which are beyond the fea ||, Jlfrica^
and Lybia, and the people of the Eajl^ and of
ifiands the mofl remote y f^all receive his mej-
fengers ; he wiJ! fet his fgn among fi them ;
and they fiall caufe his glory to be hionjun,
Thxfe nations jhall come, and fioall offer him
their prayers^ and his fepulchre fimll be glo-
rious among fl them §. The Lord alone fijall
be exalted in that day ** ; and all idols fljall
be utterly abolified, The heathen rage i?i
vain '\'^y and kings and princes form ufelefs
confpiracies againft the Lord, and againfl his

* Ifai. Iv. t Ibid. xlii. X Ibid. xix. yXix.

11 Ibid. Ixvi. . § Ibid. xi. *"* Ibid. ii.

It }Yal. ii.

Anointed :

Chrijiian Religion vindicated, 355

Anointed: For, He thatfitteth in the height
of heaven JJmU laugh them to J corn ^ and Jhall
hold their inconf derate frojeBs in dcrifion.
He eftablifhes the kingdom of his Christ
in oppofition to them all ; nay, eftablifhes
it even upon their own ruin : King^ come to
adore him * ; and^ as a mark oj their homage^
offer him prefents-f^ and keep a refpe&Jul
Jilence before him,

§. VIII. We need only confider what Jesus
has happened fince the comine of Jesus ^"''^'^Z

i^i^ o J proved to

Christ, to know whether he be the be the
Meffiah, whom it was foretold fl:iould befVomV
the liiiht and falvation of the nations, rc^^cv/ of

^ what has

Now, how can we here exclude that flood happened
of light which fliines fo glorioully on all ^q^^^J^
fides ? There is no need of reafoning upon
the matter. We have only to open our
eyes, and confider the change which has
happened in the w^orld. Jesus Christ
commands his apoftles to carry the gofpel
through the whole earth : They feparate ;
all the powers of this world unite to op-
pofe this growing Religion. Some wTice,

• Pfal. Ix.xii. t ITa. Iv.

Z 2 ot!iJ!rs

3 j6 The Truth of the

others condemn, others deilroy. And yet,
in fpite cf all thcfe obftacles, Jesus Christ
overthrows the Jcvvifli worfl^iip in Jerufa-
kin, the centre of the nation -, and out of
it's votailes conuitutes his firft church ; to-
gether with the worihip of idols in Rome,
which was the centre of idolatry. All this
he perfoi-med by the fole power of that
word which had foretold thefe events, A
fecret virtue ilTues from the crofs ; all idols
are putaway^ and fall to the ground, though
fupported by the whole power of man. They
are not the wife, or the noble, or tht m.igh-
ty, vv^hom Gcd Almighty employs to bring
about fo grand and marvellous an event. The
work of God, begun in the hum.ihations of
Jesus Christ, is confummated in thofe
of his difciples, God chofe that which was
moft viie and foohlL according to the world's
edim.ation, to confound the wife ; and that
which is Vw'eak and contemptible in appear-
ance, to overturn the ftrength and the powers
of the age. Twelve men, of no reputation
in the world's efteem, prevail againft kings
and nations, abolifli every idol, and fubdile
all tljat human greatnefs which interefted
itfclf in their defence.

The

Cbrijlian ReligJ^in vindicate J. 2 57

The Roman power, which, till that time
nothing had been able to refill, yields witl-i-
out fufFering violence or compullion. Chri-
flians, without ftirring up infiirred^ions, or
giving any difturbance, and, indeed, merely
by undergoing all kinds of inhuman treat-
ment, — are feen to cliange the face of
the world, and to extend their d(x5trines
over the whole univerfe. Nations the moft
bigotted to idolatry renonnce it, and con-
fine their adoration to the one true God.
The Romans themfelves, the Greeks, people
of every region and country, unite in mul-
titudes to acknowledge the vanity of their
idols. Nay, even of thofe vagabond na-
tions who wandered up and down without
having any fixed place of relidence, there
were many, who, through the power of the
name of Jesus Christ, were led to em-
brace the worfliip of the true God. The
uiurper is driven from all parts ; and the
Jirciig fvan armed ^ after h<iving triumphed
over him, loads himfelf wiih all the fpoils
of his vidlory, and confccratcs them to the
one true God. The facility with which
fo iireat a chancre v/as bicu^^ht ab.our,
Z \ ^ is

;S? 72?^ T RV T n of the

is an evident miracle. But the greatefl of
all miracles, is, that together with the faith,
rnviteries the moft fublime, virtues the moft
tr..inent, and exercifes the moft toilfome,
every-where difplayed themfelves.

What an aflonifliing change appears
through the whole world ! The veil is
withdrawn ; the darkncfs is difperfed :
Henceforward mankind learn how much
they have been debafed, and how low they
have fallen by proftituting themfelves to un-
worthy objects ! They difcern the dignity of
their nature ; and are convinced that they
were form.ed for.fomething more excellent,
and which alone is able to fill the vaft ex-
tent of their fouls. It is not the learned
only who aflcrt and maintain thefe great
truths : The fimple and the ignorant of fo
many different na.tions, equally believe them,
and with equal effect contribute to publifli
them by their lives and condud.

To fuffcr every thing for the truth's fake,
becomes an ordinary exercife amongft them.
They luQi even to tortures, with a greater
degree of ardour than otlicrs follow after

pleafures.

CLriflian Religion vindicated. 3 59

pleafures. Sicut apes ad aivcaria^ f lys Ju-
lian, fic illi ad martyria ; " as bees luilea to
their hives, fo do they to martyrdom /' anJ
by their contempt of the life prefent, efta-
blifh the immortahty of the foul, and the
certainty of a future ftate in a more fubftan-
tial manner than all the philofjphers were'
able to do, by the force of their rcafonlngs,
and arguments.

What can be more divine, what more
marvellous [ — Men vi-ho, before^ v^ere given
up to the controul of every paffion, to every
irregular appetite of flcfli and fenfe ;— feparate
themfelves with the mofl: lively fatisfidlion
from all thofe objefts, in the purfuit of
which their hearts had formerly countenanc-
ed and fupported them with fo much ardour.
Deprive themfelves with joy of the mofl: ne-
cefl-iry fupplies of life J and find more true
delight in the tears and aufterities of peni-
tence, than they had felt in all the vain
pleafures of the world ! Men plunged into
every vice, fuddenly become cliafte, virtu-
ous, lober, and temperate : The world, all at
once inflamed with the purell and moft ar-
dent charity, furniflies every where the mofl

Z 4 amazing

360 The IC R u T n of the

amazing examples of holinefs. The great
renounce their honours, the opulent their
riches, for the fake of Christ. Hearts
formerly fwayed by the mofl untradablc
pride, who knew not what it was to fufFer
airronts, or to pardon injuries, become in an
inftant fo mild, and fo patient, that the
mofl; galling, moil atrocious, and mofl: ig-
nominious treatment, appears not in the
leaft grievous or painful for them to bear;
they find their glory and happinefs to confifl:
in them. Humility, whofe very name till
then was utterly unknown, prefents to the
world a miofl: enchanting fcene : it's difci-
ples, lowly even to the defpifing themfelves,
feek no other glory than that of him who
is Invilible ; place all their greatnefs in abaf-
ing themfelves before their brethren, as well
from the heart as by their adions. It is to
them an honour to give place to others.
What peace, what blifsful harmony reigns
amongft the members of this new fociety,
which charity founded, and which love up-
holds ! in which men forget their own
only to adminifler to the iaterefl and advan-
ta'TC of others.

All

Chrijlian RcIig{o?i vindicated, 361

All of them arc fcen, cventhofe men, fo
barbarous and brutal, who had before breath-
ed forth nothing but murther aixd blood-
(liedding, whom no law, no policy, could
civilize or reclaim : — Thefe are feen, with
one heart and mind, to glow with the mod
ardent charity, not only for the brethren,
but even for their enemies and torturers i de-
fpoiling themfelves of every thing, to alle-
viate their wants, and difpofcd to facrifice
their lives, if the good of any foul could
furnifli them with the Icafi; occafion fo to
do. Thus the earth transformed into a
new world, prefents on all fides a multitude
of perfons of every fcx and quality, who,
having arrived at the moft uniform detach-
ment from earthly confiderations, no longer
regard themfelves in any other light than
as Grangers here below, who, wearied and
fatiatcd with all the things of time, and even
with life itfelf, figh no longer for any but
lieavenly objetfls ; haftening in their wiflics
towards a death which is irkfome to frail
nature, but which their faith, and the view
of that felicity of which it cannot fail to

pro-

36a The Truth of the

procure them the poffeffion, render fweet
2.\\& amiable.

Had not Roiiflcaa reafon for faying, m
one of his works, *'' What argument can be
*^ fo effeBually employed againjt the unbe-
^ •* liever, as the life of the true Chrijlian !
** Would he but give it his conji deration^ be
'^ mufi unavoidably cry out^ No ! 7nan^ fnere
"^ man, can?iot do this of kimfelf \ jomething
*' more than human governs here!^ Yes,
certainly ; thofe precious fruits, thofe won-
derful effects which the Chriftiah Religion
fcath produced in the world, are more than
human ; are fupernatural. The philofo-
phers were able to perfaade but very few
of their difcrples to follow their dodtrines ;
But, Jesus Christ, even after his death,
and while no longer vifible upon earth,
perfuades whole nations to embrace his gof-
peL Mufi not fome thing more than human
govern hare? The dodtrine of Jesus Christ
which attacks and oppofes every irregular
paffion, extends itfelf every-v/here, amidft
the fevereft crofles and encounters which are
raifed againrt: it on all fides. He eflabliftes
his church, he founds it in martyrdom

and

Chrijlian Religion vi?2JicafeJ. ^63

and fuffcrings, and continues ic in this vio-
lent and (ivingerous fuuation for the fpace
of three hundred years, without the en'ioy-
ment of a moment's repofe. Is ?nafi this of
himjcif? At length Jesus Christ, aRer
having convinced mankind, by fo long an ex-
perience, that he needed no human aid, no
earthly power, for the eflabllfliment of his
church ', calls into it kings and emperors,
and appoints them the prote<5tors of Chriftia-
nity ; they come in from all parts of the
world ; and whatfoever the prophets had
declared concerning the future glory of the
church, becomes literally accomplilLed in
the face of the whole world.

From whence comes this power, which
could effect fuch a wonderful change ?
The Melliah is come : Jesus Christ is
that MefTiah ! Thus is the myftery re-
vealed : the promife which was made to
blefs all nations through him, and to give
them to him for an inheritance, is now
made good : he draws all mankind to him
by means of his death, as he had foretold.
The Holy Spirit, which fo long ago was
promifcd, is poured out upon allfejlj, through

the

5^4 ^^ Truth of the

the efficacy of his facrifice. I'-cdUI pour out
my Spirit upon all JicJJj, Joel ii. 28. The
new covenant of which the Meffiah was
ordained the nriediator, is fealed Vv^ith the
blood of Jesus Christ, and by a natu-
ral confequence of this covenant, God en-
graves his law no longer upon ftone^^ as for-
merly, but whites and imprints in the
ground of the heart. He takes av/ay the
ftony heart, to fjbftitute a flefhlyone in it's
flead* : nations become his people, and he
becomes their God. Ail from the leaft to
the greatefl acknowledge the Lord ; their
iniquities are waihed away in the blood of
the Mediator of the new covenant, and
righteoufnefs is eflabliflied upon the earth.

Applica- ^ IX. It is not poffible then to controvert

the%ws : the Mcfliah's coming, or that Jesus Christ

and con- ^^j^ited evcrv chara&r of that divine perfon

of what in himfelf. Let the bhnd Jew, therefore,

Br^'o^effor ^^P"" ^'^^ ^Y^^ ^^ length, to that light which

^«^- beams on every fide for his intelligence and

convidion. His former manner of wordiip,

it*s facrifices and ceremonies are all fuper-

feded, and rendered ineffc6laal without re-

fource, in order to fubftitute a.worfliip which

is

• Ezck. xi. 19. xxxvi. 7.6,

Ckrijlian Religion ^indicaied, 365

is more pure, and a facrifice more worthy
the Deity, according to the prophet's pre-
didion ; / have no plea fur e in you^ faith the
Lord of hofh^ neither ivill I accept any offer ^
ing at your hands . For from the rifmg of
the fun even unto the goi?ig down of the fame,
wy name f:all be great among the Gentiles ;
end 171 every place incenfe JImU be offered unto
my 7iame^ and a pure Ojjcrijig : for my na?ne
fall be great amongji the heathen ; bccaufe I
em the great King ; and my jiame f:all be re^
^ered amongji all people. Malachi. i. 10, 11,
14. For the offering of this new facrifice
and oblation, God hath chofen priefs and
Jevites from amongji the people^ (Ifai. lxvi.)as
he foretold. The perpetual and unalterable
fucceiHon of tlie high-prieits of the Jevvifh
law, is extinct with the temple; and God,
to point out in a more ftriking manner, that
it was irretrievable, caufed the diflindlion of
tribes and families; fo carefully prefcrvcd till
that period, to be entirely loft and forgotten;
a fact in which the Jews themfclvcs agree :
The Almighty hath thereby fignihed that
the new priellhood, after the order of iMel.
chifedcc, was confirmed in Jesus Christ
and his miiiiitcrs, and that there was no

niore

366 The Truth of the

more occalion for Aaron and Levi. That
confLifion which has happened in their fa-
milies and tribes, clearly (hows that the
Mcffiah is come ; fince, being ordained to
fpring from the family of David, and from
the tribe of Judah, it would be impoffible
at this day, to make out this defcent by au-
thentic vouchers.

What folid reply could the Jews urge,
againft proofs io convincing ? Their own
books furnifli us with thofe proofsj and they
cannot therefore be fufpeded. Bat obferve
what Rouffeau objects againft us in favour
of that people. ** Do you know many Chri-
ftians, fays he, * who have taken the pains
to examine carefully into what the Jews
have alledged againft them? If there are a
few who know fomething of it, it is
from what they have met with in the
writings of Chriftians : a very pretty
manner, truly, of intruding themfelves
in the argun:icnts of their opponents !
But Vv'hat is to be done ? Should any one
dare to publilli among ft us fuch books
as openly elpoufe the caufc of Judaifm,

we

<<

Vol. iii. p. 165, &feq.

Chrijlian Rellgton *i)!uJitaUJ, 367

** we fiiould punlfl^ the author, the editor
*' and the bookfcller. This pK^hcy is very
** commodious, and very furc to keep us
'' always in the right ; we can refute at
** pleafure thofe who are afraid to reply/'
Is it neccflaiy then for every Chriftian to
know what the Jews can aliedge againfl: our
rehgion ? Is it not fufficient for us to have
a general knowledge of the fundamental
arguments in proof of the divinity of the
Cliriftian Religion, wiJiout perplexing our-
felves, with what it's adverfaries may inceC-
fantly be throwing out againll it ? Wc
Should never make an end, if, previous to
the embracing religion, it were neceflary,
or ex'pe<^l:cd from us, to clear away every
4difficulty Vvhich human reafon could lay in
it's way. It would every day be neceffary
to drop the belief of what had been adopt-
ed the day preceding, in order to begin a
frefl:i examination of fuch new ohjedlions as
might be propofed. Do we a6t thus in the
cafe of the arts, the fciences, and every avo-
cation of life : has a man, in whofe mind the
truth of any of thcfe is once well ciiabliili-
cd, the leall occafion to attend the cxami-
Datioa and folution of every difficulty, be-
fore

368 The T^vru of the

fore he can purfne and fix himfelf in it ?
The Chriftian Religion has at all times had
men, who have carefully examined all that
the mod ipecioiis Judaifm could alledge, and
have anfvvered it vvith all that fortitude
which the goodnefs of their caufe gave
thtm. The modern Jevv^s can repeat no-
things which their fathers have not many
times urged over and over, and which hath
not conftantly been defeated and overthrown
by the learned apologies and excellent treatifes
of our writers. They have never complain-
ed that their objedions were difregarded ;
and if they had done fo, they would only
have raifed contempt, or not been believed.
Their books, whatever Rouffeau may fay,
have always been fufficiently common 5
where may we not meet with the writings
of their rabbis and doctors ? For more than
three hundred years they fa id, and did, and
wrote whatever they pleafed again ft the
Chriftian Religion : they ftirred up the
whole world againft the difciples of Jesus
Christ 5 and fufFered them to enjoy no
peace in any city where they were found.
They armed the Roman people and the em-
perors againft this rifing church : they ani-
mated

Chrijlian Religion 'vindicated. 369

mated the Pagans againft it, and joined with
them to perfccute and deftroy it ; if poffible
it has had no enemies more furious, more
formidable, or more invidious : yet it tri-
umphed over them, as well as over all
others. This was not done by force or vio-
lence, feeing it was at that time without re-
putation or fupport, and on every fide ex-
pofed to a multitude of malicious opponents.
It was by the power of it's arguments there-
fore, and the ftrength of the Moft High,
that it overcame the Jews, in like manner f

as it overcame it's other adverfaries *.

Have we then any need ftill to take the
trouble of examining carefully what Judaifm
may have alledged againft our faith ? Will
not the Pagans have an equal right to de-
mand a like difcuflion of whatever they have
urged againft the Chriftian Religion ? And
what Religion, how well founded foever,
can be eftabliftied amongft men, if every
fucceeding generation muft recur to an exa-
mination of all the obje(fl:ions which may
have been made to it at different times, and

• See Limborch's conference with Orobio the Jew.

A a which

270 7he Truth of the

which have all been fo often confuted and
deftroyed.

It is true, at the prefent period, in which
the Chriftian Reli?2;ion is become viftorious
and predominant, it does not fuffer, and
with reafon, that fuch booh Jhould be pub*
liJJ:ed in the very heart of it*s territories, as
Plight openly efpcufe the cauje of Judaifm,
Kings and princes having embraced it, and
become it*s protedtors, have certainly a right
to puni/h the authors^ editors^ and venders of
fuch produdlions. In a well governed ftate^
{hould any one be fujffered with impunity to
attack it's laws, and the fundamental con-
ftitutions of fociety, by publifhing feditious
works? — NoWjCivil fociety being united with
the Chriftian fociety, it is infringing the one
to make any attack upon the other ; and the
authority of the former ought to be exerted
in fupport and vindication of the rights and
privileges of the latter.

Rouffeau may tell us, if he pleafes, that
this policy is very convenient^ and very fure
to make us always in the right j and that we
can refute at pleafure thofe who dare not

argue

Chriflian Religion vindicated, 37

urgiie in reply. It is the policy which rea-
fon and natural juftice didatc. What would
become of fociety, if every infidel, and im-
pious perfon, muft be allowed to fow their
errors abroad, and publicly and boldly vent
their blafphemies? What horrible confufion
in States and Religion would be the confe-
quence of fuch a liberty ? This policy, it is
certain, may be abufed. The Pagans for-
merly did abufe it, when they would have
condemned the Chriftian Religion to filence;
for truth alone hath a right to prevail over
this policy ; nor can any one have a right to
impofe filence on aught but error, which may
jultly be holden in the chains of fcrviiude.
Now every proof which wc have hitherto
produced has dcmonftrated that the Chriftian
Religion is the only true Religion; and con-
fequently the fecular power, which is con-
nedted with it, is well authorized to reprefs
every difturber or blafphemer of that Reli-
gion. Unbelieving Jews cannot lawfully
complain of this treatment. Let them only
confider how, according to Mofes's law,
thofe who fliould dare to oppofe their Re- •

ligion, were formerly treated : was it allowed
amongft: them to give a free courfe to fuch
A a 2 books

\^^ I'he Truth of the

books as openly combatted Judaifm ? The
divinity of their Religion being fo folidly
ejflablifhed, it would have been offering the
moft atrocious indignity to the God whom
they adored, to conceive that there was any
need previoufly to the embracing the wor-
fliip he had prefcribed, to examine carefully
every thing that the Pagans could alledge
againfl Judaifm.

*^ Thofe amongft us, proceeds Rouffeau,
who have an opportunity to converfe with
the Jews, have but little advantage. Thefe
unhnppy people know they lie at our
mercy. The tyranny which we exercife
over them renders them juftly timid and
refer ved -, they know how far cruelty and
irjuftice are compatible with Chriftian
Charity : what therefore can they venture
to fay to us, without running the rifque of
incurring the charge of blafphemy ? Ava-
rice infpires us with zeal -, and they are
too rich not to be ever in the wrong. The
moH: fenfible and learned among them,
are the moft circumfpedl and referved.
We make a convert, perhaps, of fome
wretched hireling, to calumniate his kd: j

'' or

Chrijlian Religion vindicated, 373

or fet a parcel of pitiful brokers difpiiting,
who give up the point merely to gratify
us ', but while we triumph over the ig-
norance or meannefs of fuch paltry oppo-
nents, the learned amongft them fmile ia
contemptuous filence at our folly. But,
do you think, that in places where they
might write and fpeak fecurely, we
fliould have fo much the advantage of
them ? *' What a ftring of frivolous and
unjuft declamations is this ! Roufleau well
knows their infufficiency of thofe reafons
\vhich the Jews may alledge ; and in order
to fupply their deficiency, and more effefta-
ally to impofe them upon us, he pretends
that thefe unhappy people lie at our mercy ^ and
that the tyranny ive exercife over them^ ren-
ders them timid^ and prevents their u[ing
proper meam for their defence. But who
exercifed tyranny for more than three hun-
dred years together ? Were not theChriftians
in all that time at the mercy of the Jews ?

When the Jews, uniting with the Pagans,
perfecuted the Chriftians in the moil rigo-
rous manner, had they not then all necef-
fary time and opportunity to defend them-
A a 3 felves.

374 TZv T R u T H (f the

felves, and to produce all the reafons they
could pofTibly urge againft this growing Re-
ligion ? The Pagans too, — who gave them
up, in order to become it's followers, in fpitc
of every effort of the baffled Jews, to di-
vert and attach them to their party, — do
not they (hew us how little regard we ought
to pay to all their reafons, by that contempt
which themfelves have exprelled for them ?
more fincere and honeft than the Jews, they
clearly difcerned in their books, what their
amazing perverfenefs hindered them from
acknowledging. As for the reft, whatever
may be the Itate of the Jews amongft us,
this ftatc, very far from railing the leaft
prepoffeffion againft the Chriftian Religion,
turns out, on the contrary, to be an evidence
In it's favour : becaufe, as we fhall prefent-
ly (hew, it was foretold that the Jews fhould
fall into this fervile ftate of fubjedtion, in
puniftiment of the crime which they com-
mitted againft the Meffiah.

But, can any one excufe the atrocious inr
dignity which Rouffeau offers the Chriftian
Religion ? *' The Jeivs, he tells us, know
bow far cruelty and injujtice are compatible

mtb

Chrijllan Religion vindicated. 27 S

*' ivith ChriJ}ian Charity,'' Does this un-
chriftian writer know the charaders of Chri-
flian Chanty ? or will he fhew us, that it
ever countenanced cruelty and injuftice ? In
every particular it prclcribes nothing but
love and tendernefs towards our brethren j
and reftrains every the lead emotion of ha-
tred or revenge, even to it's enemies. Chri-
ftian Charity is gentle, mild, and patient ;
feeketh not her own interell ; is not puffed
up, nor morofe ; rejoiceth not in iniquity ;
harbours no evil defign j beareth all things ;
endureth all things ; the misfortunes of if s
brethren pierce it with the moft lively for-
row. Such are it's charaders ; and all thofe
whofe adtlons are not regulated by thefe
principles, are uninfluenced by Chriftian
Charity, Are fuch then cruel, or unjufl ?
It is becaufe they have left this fair conduc-
tor: luft and tlie paflions are the rule of
their defires, and inftigate theircondudt. Let
but Chriftian Charity take pofleffion of their
hearts, and injuftice and cruelty will prefent-
ly be baniflied from them. But fljch is
Rouffeau's difingenuity, ever ta place to the
account of the Chriftian Religion, thofe im-
pieties and diforders which men only com-
A a 4 mit

376 The T R u r u of the

mit becaufe they have deviated from it's fa -
cred didtates.

" AvaricCy continues he, infpires us 'with
'^ ^eal\ and the Jews are too rich not to be
*' ever in the wrong.'' If they are very
rich, it follows, that we exercife no tyranny
over them with refpe(fl to their worldly con-
cerns : and they can neither complain of lying
at our 7rjercy^ nor accufe us of injujiice to-
wards them : any one who knows ever fo
little of the character of the Jews, may bet-
ter judge than Rouffeau, whether it be they
or the Chriftians, who are guilty of injuftice.
They are rich ; — it is true: but by how many
unjurt and illicit methods do they become
fo ? They glory in deceiving Chriftians, and
in pradifing every kind of fraud in their
dealing^s with them.

*^ We make a convert ^perhaps ^ adds Rouffeau,
*' of fome wretched hirelings to calumniate his
*' feet 5 orfet a parcel of pitiful brokers dif--
** putingy who give up the point merely to
*' gratify us -, but while we triumph over the
*' ignorance or meannefs of thefe defpi cable
** opponent Sy the learned among them Jmile in

** contemptuous

Chrijlian ReVigion vindicated, 37;

** contempt ucus filcnce at our folly : but, do
*' you believe, that in places where they might
** ivrite and /peak fecurely, ive pould have fo
*' jfiuch th: advantage of them ? " What !
were Paul, and the other apoftles, the dif-
ciples of Jesus Christ, and the believers
of the church at Jerufalem, w/yr^T^/^/^ ivretches^
hired to calumniate their feci ? — Were they
a parcel oj vile brokers, ni- ho gave up the pointy
merely to gratify us ? Were thcfe men, who
were fo difinrerefted, who facrificed all to
bear tefturiony to the truth of the gofpel,
and who did not even yield to the moft ex-
cruciadng torments j were they ignorant or
daftarJly ? They, whofe light hath fhone
throughout the world, and difpellcd the
gloom, which wholly overfpread it ; whofe
power triumphed over whatever is mod
dreadful and formidable in the univerfe.
Were they ignorant or daftardly ? With
fuch nothing could fult better than to live
in peace, and be flickered in fecurity : but
nothing was ever more free and voluntary
than the fufferings of thefe men. And what
did they gain by them in this life ? — It necef-
farily follows therefore, that they were fully
perfuadcd of the certainty gf thofe truths

which

378 Tbe Trvtu of the

which they avowed, fince they delivered
themfelvcs with joy to fo many evils, trials,
and contradidtions, in confirmation of it.

If at this day fear or intereft can induce
fome pitiful brokers among the Jews to
fpeak in favour of the Chriftian Religion ;
fuch teftimonies are unworthy of it ; and it
difavows them. Thofe who fhould be mean
enough to fuggeft, to buy, or to conftrain
fuch evidence^ muft be aduated by quite
another fpirit than that of the Chriftian Re-
ligion, which requires no fuch afliftance to
extend or fupport it. Yet, for once, in or-
der that we may form a right judgment of
^ their Religion, let us trace out what it's true
fpirit is, and not ftop at the mere condudl of
thofe who may defpife or deviate from it's
precepts.

Of mo- §. X. *' The Jewifi doBors^ the learned
laifin "' *' ^^07igji them^ Rouffeau tells us, Jmile iji
" contemptuous filence at our folly ^ But
what have they to fay ? and what can they
object to us, which will not demonftrate the
profoundnefs of their ignorance ? — Let but
any one follow them, thefe learned Jews,

through

Chrijlian Religion vindicated. 379

through every period of time, and he will
perceive nothing but malice, obftinate in-
credulity, implacable rage againft Jesus
Christ and his difciples, atrocious calum-
nies, frivolous evafions, and fubtle fubter-
fuges, throughout the whole of their con-
dudl.

The grand reafon which they urge for
having rejeded Jesus Christ is that only
one found in all their writings, in the Tal-
mud^ and in the works of their rabbies,
namely, that Jesus Christ fubdued no
nations by force of arms ; He fell, fay they ;
He yielded, and was killed ; He hath not
vanquifhed the heathens by his power ; He
hath not fubdued them to us ; He hath
not enriched us with their fpoils. Thefe
blind people flattered themfelves, that the
Mefliah would deliver them from their fer-*
vitude under foreign princes 5 that He would
have given them the empire of the whole
world ; that He would have made his ap-
pearance, with all the fplendid magnificence
of a mighty conqueror ; would have re-
duced all nations to their dominion by the
terror of his arms, and made them tributa-
ries

jSo The Truth of the

ries to the Jews. Fallen under the govern-
ment of the Romans, and attentive only to
ideas of pride and independence ; they could
not endure their fituation, but with the moft
galling impatience. The more they felt
themfelves prefled with the yoke which the
Gentiles impofed, the greater hatred and
jealoufy did they conceive againil: them.
Hence fprung their averlion to a Meiliah,
who was not a warrior ; or formidable to
thofe powers, who held them in captivity.
Thus, forgetting the many prophecies, which
exprefsly fignified his humiliations, they at-
tended to none but fuch as fpoke of triumphs,
though very different ones from thofe they
defired. Thefe ignorant people rejected
Jesus Christ, becaufe they beheld in him
nothing but folid greafnefsy deilitute of all
thofe external trappings which ftrike the
fenfes -, and found that he rather came to
condemn, than crown their blind ambition:
foolifh and unwile ! who faw not that their
greateil and moft inveterate enemies were
not men, but the vices and irregularities
fpringing from their corrupt inclinations !

What

ChrifJan Religion vindicated. jJi

What advantage could that Mcfilah have
procured to u?, whom the Jews figured out
and cxpedted ? Whatever he might have
offered us, could have been only adapted to
footh our pride and vanity. He could not
have known our true mifery : He could on-
ly have enflamed our paffions ; given them
a fandlion ; and miniftered to, inflead of re-
claiming them. Very far from bettering
our condition, he would but have rendered
our diforders more deplorably dangerous :
and, ignorant of that real excellence of man's
nature, which is able to render him happy,
would have fubftituted terreftrlal and tran-
fient enjoyments, which we ought to dc-
fpife ; in the place of thofe fubflantial and
durable bleflings, which alone wc ought to
deflre.

It would not only be particularly neccf-
fary for us, in this cafe, to reje^ fuch a
Mefliah, but we ought to fly him as a fcdu-
cer, who would deftroy us by flattering our
frailties : far from placing any confidence in
him, we fliould detcfl: him, as being leagued
with the enemy of our falvation.

§• XI.

per

man

382 '' The Tkvtk of the

A fufFer- §. XI. Let a man be never fo weak a be-
fiah ^- ^' I'^v^^j he will eafily be induced to grant that
ccffary Jesus Christ the truc Meffiah is come, in
per for' the manner, and under thofe circumftances,
wherein we might reafonably expedt him.

Man having become culpable, and a trai-
tor to his Lord, the divine juftice required
a reparation proportioned to the enormity o(
the offence : no created being, how excel-
lent foever, could worthily repair that injury
which fin had committed againft the Deity.
Jesus Christ comes into the world to
reconcile it with God : He charges himfelf
with our debt, and offers freely to fatisfy it
for us. How could he, after this engage-
ment, be exempted from fuffering and hu-
miliation ?

Man, having erred from the path of duty,
no longer knew wherein his true happinefs
confifted : He had accuftomed himfelf to
feek it in the deceitful things of the prefent
life. Jesus Christ, defirous to undeceive
him, and to reclaim him from his error,
teaches him to contemn the enjoyments of

this

Chrijltan Religion vindicated. 383

this lower world, and, detaching his heart
from them, to elevate it to thofe cverlafting
enjoyments, which alone were worthy to
engage his love, and alone capable of fatis-
fying the vaft extent of his defires. It be-
came necefTiiry, therefore, in order to un-
deceive and inftrudl us effcftually, that the
God-man fhould himfelf begin the tafk,
by dripping and diverting himfelf of all that
which man, with fo much ardor, purfued.
Man, otherwife, would have regarded the
precepts of his Saviour in no other light
than as the vain fpeculations of a philofo-
pher ; fpeculations which his own aftions
contradidled, and which it was impoffible to
reduce to pradice.

The greateft evil which bcfel man after
he became a finner, was, that he feared no-
thing fo much as fuftcring and abafcmenCt
though nothing was more neccflary and ufe-
ful for him. It was impoffible, while pof-
feflcd with this fear and horror, to apply his
mind to the chief good, and follow it with
afllduity and conftancy. The evils and af-
flidions of life would quickly have diverted
big mind from that great objed. The Eter-
nal

384 ^fj^ Truth of the

nal Wifdom, therefore, cloarhed with our
human nature, proceeds to fliew hin:i, by
the whole of His condu6l, how highly he
ought to efteem fuffering and mortihcation,
iince He himfelf made all his delight and
glory to confift in them : He convinces him
how little reafon he has to fear them, fince
the man with whom He is united, can tri-
umph fo glorioufly over them. By lefTons
invigorating and pathetic like thefe, did
. Jesus Christ fpeak to men far more ef-
fedually than by all imaginable arguments
whatfoever.

Again, man was no longer fufceptible
of proper feelings ^ he had obfcured all his
reafoning faculties, and given full range in-
tirely to the fenfes : he had even carried his
folly fo far as to feive and worfhip the
\ileft created beings. To reafon with a
malady of this fort, which the violence of
his paffions made more grievous, would on-
ly have been to irritate him, and render his
evil irremediable. Accordingly, what have
the philofophers gained with all their pom-
pous difcourfes and fubtle reafonings ? Have
they overturned one of thofe altars whereon fo

many

Chrifllan Religioh vindicated, ^Sc

friany monftrous Deities were worfhiped f
Where are thefc fages ? What have they ef-
fedcd ? Jesus Christ, defiious to heal
and reftore fallen man, takes another method
to attain his purpofe. He completely con-
founds human reafon by the myftery of his
crofs ; and thus applies the remedy to the
fource of the evil. Idobtry derived ii*s ori-
ginal from that profound attachment we
have to ourfelves. This it was which in-
duced men to invent gods like themfelves;
Deities fubjedt to like vices and paffions with
them. Under the denomination of thefe
pretended Deities, men really worfliiped
their irregular appetites, crimes, and difor-
ders. Jesus Christ, to convert them
from their errors, imprints upon their hearts
the love of the crols, inftcad of the love
of pleafure ; He teaches them, by the ex-
ample of his fufferings and poverty, to re-
nounce and ficrifice all things : by this means
the idols which had been outwardly wor-
fliipcd, wdre quickly overthrown and de-
ftroyed, bccaufe thofe qualities which they
externalty adored, no longer fubfifted ; and
man, fir from framing a' Deity like himfelf,

-V' b thenc;e-

386 The TiSivm of the

thenceforth inceflantly laboured to become
like the true God.

Could a remedy be imagined more cfFec-
tual to remove the evils under virhich man
fufFered, or more w^orthy the divine good-
nefs and wifdom ? What depth in that my-
ftery of God made man, and become hum-
ble even to the death of the crofs, for the
falvation of mankind ! The wifdom of it is
fo fublime, that, to our falfe underftanding,
which cannot attain unto it, it appeared even
as folly : man willingly acknowledged as
Deities, Beings who were but men, and men
as fmful as himfelf. To correct this error,
and to accommodate himfelf to our weak-
nefs, a new objedl of adoration is prefented
to man ; a God, become man ! but who
bath loft nothing of that which He was^ by
taking upon him what we are 5 who hath
abafed himfelf to our low condition, with-
out felf-degradation, in order to elevate our
fouls to him. It is a worfliiper, equal in
all refpefts, with him whom he adores,
who comes to repair the defedls in our wor-
fliip y and uniting with his own, the adora-
tion

Chrljlian Religion "jindlcatcJ, 38;^

tion of the members whom he incorporates
under him their head, communicates to them
that infinite reward of which He himfelf is
the principle and fource.

§. XII. But, though Jesus Christ Thedl-

an r J vine cha*

men m a Itate or poverty and j-a^cr of

abafement ; though he appeared wholly de- k^^\^
ftitute of every earthly accommodation ; y€t
what real greatnefs doth he difplay through
the veil which conceals him ! Let us
follow him through every circumftance of
his life : We fhall in all refpedls behold
him afting like a God. The learned doc-
tors aflembled in the temple, behold with
^we his infancy more wife and intelligent
than all the fagacity of ancient men. He
opens his miflion by a multitude of un-
heard-of miracles : He performs them ma-
gifterially, and with authority. Their fource
is in himfelf: He performs them as a maf-
ter, who only commands that nature which
he formed: and as in the days of old He
fpake, and it was done ; io He fpeaks ftill,
and all is re-eftabli(hed. His divine virtue
is cvery-wherc dilplayed : to touch him, is
to be cured : Though he be poor. He, on
B b 2 every

«588 "The T R u t H of the

every cccafion, (hows, even in that Indi-
gence, that he is the fountain of all riches,
who difpofeth of them at his pleaiure ; the
Father, who nouriflieth all men, who muU
tiplietli their beings, and giveth them in-
creafe. Devils cannot fupport the fplen-
dor of his prefence ; they acknowledge their
Judge, and fly away terrified : all the ele-
ments of nature own him for their Author,
and are obedient to his Word : the waves
grow calm at his voice, and the waters be-
come firm under his footfteps.

The knowledge of Futurity prefents no-
thing to His view, which can afFed, or
trouble, or furprize him. He fpeaks of it
as of the prefent moment : He fliews that
this knowledge is plain and natural to him,
and that he deriveth it from it's proper fource
in himiclf : fliews that all ages are ranged
in due order before him, and that he dif-
pofeth all their feveral events : He reads the
very ground of the heart; and anticipates
all it's thoughts and motions : He holds
the huniim will in his hand, and turns it at
his pitafure ; He makes hinifelf followed
a!;d' obfe^yed by whom[oever he . pleafes ;.

and

Gmjlian RcUgicn *iuudlcatci{, 38,

and fliews that noihiiig could reflrain him
from bending and rendering docile the rnott
obdurate ^id rebellious minds. VVl-^at \k\C^
dom direds his anfwcrs ! His every reply
confounds .all the combined malice of bis
enemies, , and leaves them nothing but
fliamefui defpair, at having nothing to urge
in return.

What beauty ! what fublimity in his doc-
trine ! Every precept is conlbnant with the
founded reafon, and every thing in it nfto-
nilhes reafon ; every particular of it is ad-
mirably adapted to the rnifery, thc^necelii-
ties, and the excellence of man's niUure.
They are not fuch fcattercd and imperfea
fentcnccs^ as are elfewhere to be found ;
but all together they form a complete fyftcm
of the mod: perfect and the mod exalted
ri^j^htcoufnefs. And yet, — He who utters
all thcfe wonderful things, is a man, unlet-
tered, and unufed to dudy, who, all on a
f iddcn, raifcd himfclf to a fclencc, above
all that the greatefl philofopliers, and the
wifcfl men of all ages, had been able to dif-
cover, by their tedious watches at^.d profound
meditations. From whence then did he gain
13 b 7 that

^qo Tbe T r V t n cf the

tBat which no man was able to underftan
before him ? What is yet more remarkable.
He treats of the moft important truths with-
out pains or labour ; propofes them with a
magifterial authority, and expounds them
with an enchanting fimplicity^ His doc-
trines are a thoufand times more fublime
than all that mankind could ever before in-
vent : yet He has the fecret art of placing
them within the reach of the moft fimple
and ignorant minds. Who could fail to
admire the condcfcenfion wherewith he
tempers and qualifies the depth of the
greateft myfteries ? It is made milk to the
feeble children, and bread to the ftrong.
Full of the fecret things of God, he
is no way aftonifhed at them like other
mortals, to whom the Deity communicates
himfelf ; but he fpeaks of them as of na-
tural events, as one bred up in the know-
ledge of them : and He clearly demonftrates
to mankind that the very effence of truth
dwells in him perfonally.

What fandity in his life \ What a love
for virtue ! What contempt of worldly
things ! What indifference to the eilimation

and

Chrijlian Religion vindicated, 391

and pralfe of men ! What zeal for that of
the Supreme Being ! What charity ! What
ardent dcfire for the falvation of men ! What
unparalleled equanimity ! Did there ever ap-
pear a man, fo exempt from all the weak-
neifes mod: infeparablc from humanity ? One
fees not in his condud: any of thofe unguarded
intervals to which man is naturally liable.
Saniftlty fhincs throughout the whole of his
conduct 3 and all his actions are the moft faith-
ful expreflion of his doctrine and his precepts.
Never man remonflrated to others with fo
much gentlenefs and affability 3 and yet his be-
neficence is only recompenfed with continual
perfecution. He inceffantly does good to
the ungrateful : His zeal and charity for
them betray him to the cruelell torments ;
yet he dies, without finding either gratitude
in his beneficiaries, fidelity in his friends,
or equity in his judges. And, in defiance
of trials fo terribly fevere, always preferves
the fame placability, conflancy, and cha-
rity.

But here, Let even the inconfiflentRoufTeau
be heard : *' What fweetnefs, fays he, what
^' purity in his manners ! What an affcdlinc^

Bb4

*' grace-

392 ^he T Kv rn of the .

'' gracefulnefs in his delivery ! What fiib-
'* limity in his maxims ! What profound
■^ wifdom in his difcourfcs ! How great the
*' command over his paffions ! Where is the
*' man, where is the philofopher, who could
*' fo live, fo fuffer, and fo die, without weak-
^' nefs, and without ofrentation ? -r— When
^' Plato defcribed his imaginary good man*
loaded with all the ignominy of guilt, yet
meriting the higheft rewards of virtue,
he defcribes exaflly the character of
Jesus Christ : the refemblance was fo
flriking that all the fathers perceived it,
«^ nor indeed was it poffible to be overlook-
ed f ."

ii

cc

<c

How noble then is this God- man even
amidft his abafement and his humiliations 1
He fuiters only becaufe he wills to fuffer ;
He only falls into the hands of his enemies,,
becaufe the appointed hour is come : He.
fl^ews them that they have no power over
him, but what he voluntarily communicates
to them : and he dies becaufe he hath de,
terrnined to refign up his foul for a time.

* Pe Rep. Dia!. I. f Vol, iii. p. 179.

But

Chriflian Religion vi?idi{:atei* ^9j

But, fcarcely is be dead on the crofs, ere the
imprcffions of his power and greatnefs arc
everywhere perceived : all nature, in agita-
tion and diforder owns her Lord! The
fun, who with-holds his iLining, proclaims
that it is in fubjcdiion to his decree, even
after his death -, the graves, which, yawn-
ing, eje(fl their dead, acknowledge Him who
leadcth down to the gates of the grave ^ and
bringeth hack ; and declare, that He who
but now was put to death, has not however
loft the power of rcfuming that life which
he had fo freely refigned: accordingly. He
rifes again at the time prefixed j and thus
everlaftingly confounds the envy, the ma-
lice, and all the vain precautions of his
enemies.

He appears to his difciples who had aban-
doned him, and who were obftinately bent
to doubt his refurredtion : They fee him >
they converfe with liim ; they touch him j
and are convinced. To confirm the belief
of his refurredtion in tlieir minds, He (hews
himfelf to them at ditterent times, and in
various circumflances. His difciples behold
him feverally : they alfo fee him vvlicii they

are

394- Tbe T R V r V[ of the

are all together : and at one time he appearS^
to more than five hundred in a company.
The apoftle who hath related this fadt, af-
firms, that the greatefl part of the fpcfta-
tors lived even in the time in which he
wrote : He does not (hew himfelf to the
people, and to his enemies ; becaufe thofe
unbelievers, who had contemned all thofe
inftrudlions which he would fain have in-
culcated upon them, were become wholly
unworthy of this new ac^ of beneficence ;
and becaufe that faith which was ordained
to impart fo great rewards, ought alfo to
receive fomething in acknov/ledgment from
man *. Raifed from the dead, He gives his
apoftles and difciples all the time they could
defire for confidering him fully : and after
having refided intimately amongft them, in
the manner mofl: fuited to their v/ifhes, fo as
that they could no longer entertain the leaft
doubt of what they beheld, refpeding him,
he commands them to bear throughout the
whole word the teftimony of all that they faw
und heard^ and felt. And, to the end that no

* See Bifhop Sherlock's Trial of the witnefles ; and
JDItton en the Rcfurrcftion*

fufpicion

Chrijiian Religion vindicatCiJ. 395

fufpicioii iiiight poffibly remain concerning
their perfe(5l faith and full perfuafion, he
lays them under an obligation to feal their
teftimony with their own blood. By this
means their preaching becomes immoveably
confirmed : it's foundation is an abfolute
fad, unanimoufly attefted by thofe who
themfelves law it, and whofc fincerity is
juftified by the ftrongeft trial which can be
conceived ; — a fubmiffion to tortures, and
even death itfelf.

Now, IS it not more noble and glorious
on the part of Jesus Christ, to have tri-
umphed over death, by rifing again from
the grave, than it would have been to have
avoided the ftroke for the prcfervation of his
life ? Fully able as he was to afcend, vigorous
and immortal, from the tomb, would it not
have been a more eafy matter for him to
have come down from the crofs, when the
Jews iniukingly defied him to do fo ? What
hand more flrong than that of the Saviour^
which overcame the world, unarmed with
the fword of violence ; but after his death ;
after having been ignotninioufly nailed to

thf

39^ ^ ^e'TnV'TrH of the

the.crofs, and pierced with the fpear ? Where
are the conquerors,, who, after tloeir death^
have fuhdued the world by" the fingk virtue'
of Jtheir name ? .Is not the fpiritual kingdom
and dominion of J e s u s Christ, thus
founded in righteou.fnefs and true holinefs,
akd efiablKhed by a vicSory gained over the
vices and paffions of the human foul, more
worthy of our homage and reverence, thari .
apy earthly and tranfient empire, which can
only render it*s poiTeffors unhappy? How
truly powerful muft he be, who holds his^
kingdom over the hearts and afFeflions of
men ; and afl:s upon them by his love and
grace, in a more jeffeftual manner than kings
have ever done by means of the fword^, and
the terror of their arms !

*^ It is ridiculous then, favs Pafchal, to
" be offended at the mean condition of ^
'^ Jesus Christ; fince this low ilate
'' was of the fame nature with that excel- v
'^'lence and magnificence which he came ;
'^ to reveal : it w^ould have been to no pur-
*^" pofe for our Lord Jesus Christ to .
** have affumed grandeur, in his kingdom.,
*'"of holinefs ; and to have come in ail the

** pomp

Chrijlidti Religion vtndicnted, ^'g'f'

'* pomp of majefty : but how fuitably docs
*• he dilplay himfelf to us, with fplendor in
" his gofpel ! With what great pomp, and
*' prodigious magnificence, doth he appear
** to be inverted, to the eyes of the heart;
" and to thole wlio can difcern true wif-
" dom! What man ever poffefTed more
*' glory than Jesus Christ ? The whole
" people of the Jews foretels his coming :
" the Gentiles worfliip him after he is
** come : the two people. Gentile and Jew-
** ifh, regard him as their common center ;
" yet what man ever lefs availed himfelf of
'* fo much glory! — Never man enjoyed fo
'^ much applaufe ; never man underwent a
** heavier load of ignominy. All this fplen-
'* dor ferved only to render our tribute of
'' grateful acknowledgment more indifputa-
** bly due to that divine BenefLidlor, who
'* received nothino; of it for himfelf.**

' Let us then Aretch forth our arms to our
great Deliverer, who, having been promifed
for the fpace of four thoufand years, is at
length come to fuffer, and to die for us, at th«-
time, and in all the circumibnces, foretold
concerning him.

i XIII.

59? The Tvivru of the

Jewifii §, XIII. But obferve the grand objeiflioii

proof of which Roufleau urges in favour of the Jews:
the truth « Amons; the dodtors of the Sorbonne, favs

of Chri- , . . , -^

ftianity. he. It IS as Clear as day, that the predic-
*^ tions concerning the Mefliah, relate to
** Jesus Christ. Among the Rabbis
*' at Amfterdam, it is juft as evident that
** they have no relation to him at all/*

But, Who have the Jews been able to
perfuade of what appears fo clear to them?
Jesus Christ, on the contrary, hath per-
fuaded many different people and nations of
what the Jews refufe to acknowledge. But
how blind is even Roufleau himfelf, to objedl
that againft the Chriftian Religion which
forms one of the moft conclufive arguments
in its favour ? For certainly, if the whole
Jewifli nation had perceived Jesus Christ
in the prophecies defcriptive of the Mefliah,
we ought not, for that reafon, to have
looked upon Jesus Christ as fuch 5 finca
the fcriptures have throughout declared that
the Jews would be infatuated with regard
to the Mefliah, and w6uld rejedl him. The
^fions nchicb the bmlders refufid is become the

heads

Chnjllan Religion vhiJicafeJ. 39^

lead-Jlorie in the corner *. ^elr eyes are:
darkened that they cannot fee -f-. /;; '•cain
doth God Jl retch forth bis hands all the day
hng, towards this incredulous people I, ia
order to draw them to Him. They hear in^
deed what he fays to the?n^ but they do not
zinderjland ; they fee what is held forth ta
/hem, but they do not comprehend it, Their
heart is rendered infenfible^ their ears artk
heavy, their eyes are clofed \\ ; the Lord hid^
cth his face from the houfe of "Jacob : H^
ivill be to them for a flone of flumbling^ an4
a rock of offence to both the hoifes of Ifrael z
a fnare, and an occafon of falling, to ths
inhabitants of Jerufalem. They fJ^all bt
hurt againfi this flone, they jl^all fall and be
broken §. The Lord will cover the eyes of
their chiefs, their prophets, and their rulers, and
all the vifions of the true prophets refpeBing this,
matter flmll be as the words of a book which
is fealed. For the Lord will do a marvellous
work amongfl the people, a wonderful work^
which Jhall furprize all the world. For be-
hold, the wifdom of their wife inenflM perip^^

• Pfal. cxvu. t lb. Ixviii* J Ifai. Ut.

\\ lb. vi. § lb. viii.

/fSi: ^ ^/je Truth of fbe

iind the iinderftandhig of their prudent niefi
jkall be hid^. The manner, therefore, in
which the Jews explain thofe fcriptures
which refped: the Meffiah, ought not to
perplex us. They waited for lights but they
ere in obfcurity -, they hoped for brightnefs^
but they lualk in darhtefs-, they walk on grop^
ing^ and fumble and hurt themfehesy even at
noon-day \. Thus their predided blindnefs
turns oat as a farther proof, in faft, of the
Chrillian Religion •

t^oo^s ^^ XIV. But what will the Tews anfwer

from the ^ . -^

prophe- to thofe clear prophecies pronounced by
cernin^"^' J^^^^ Christ himfelf, agaiuft their city
the city and temple? Thefe are all plain, precife,
pie of je.and what is more than all, they are accom-*
lufaiem. ^lifl^ej^ Jesus Chr I st, applying to him-
felf the ancient prophecies which concerned
the Meffiah, foretels to the Jews the ap-
proaching deftruftion of the temple arid the
city of Jerufalem, as the chaftifement of their
ingratitude and refufal to believe in him."
Penetrated with grief at the obftinacy of it's
inhabitants. He weeps over the unhappy
city, faying, If thou had/} known, at kaji^

V .^ * Ifai. v.xlx. -} Ih. lix.

in.

Chrijlian Religion ^vindicated. 40 x

in this late day which is allowed thee^ the
things ivhich t?jay procure thee peace ! but
now they are hid from thine eyes : For the
time Jljall coiiiCy unhappy for thee, when thine
enemies Jl^all cajl trenches about thee, and
compafs thee round ^ and clofe thee in on every
fide ; and they Jhall lay thee even with the
groundy and defroy thee^ and thy children
within thy walls , and they Jlmll not leave in
thee one Jlone upon another^ becaufe thou
kneweji not the time in which thy Godvifited
thee^\ Jesus Christ allures them, that
all the righteous bloody from the blood of righ^
teous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, which
they have Jloed upon the earthy f:allfaU upon
the prefent generation. And that the houfcs
cfyerufalemjljculdfconbe left defolate^ be^
caufe Jhe had not heard him, when he would
have gathered her children together -f*. The
difciplcs of Jesus, defiring him to obferve
the admirable grandeur and beauty of the
architc(flare of the temple : Jefusfaid unto
thern^ See you not all thefe buildings ? Verily
I fay unto' you y there fall not be left here
$ne Jlone upon another^ which fall not be

* Lul:c xix. 41, Sec f Mat. xxiii. 3-, &c.

C c thrown

^02 "Tf-^ Truth of the

thrown down *. And in the conclufian of
the predidllon he declares to them, that the
prefent generation fmiild not pajs away till
all tkofe things were fulfilled % that all thofe
events jl:all befal the race then e^ifiing -f-.
There need no more than tx> confult hiftory^
in order to find the moft faithful comple-
tion of thefe prophecies of Jesus Christ,

Let any one read Jofephus — by name and
. religion a Jew, — general of the Jewifh forces
at the beginning of the war,, and made pri-
foner by the Roman army ; who> with his
own eyes> beheld all that he relates concern-
ing the fiege and deftruftion of Jerufalem.
Such an author cannot bt fufpefted of mif*
reprefenta'iion -, and he hath every charadler
requifite to entitle him to fall credit. Jeru-
falem^ according to the prediction of Jesus
CiiRisTp was to be enlirenched, and fliut up
on every fide. Jofephus tells us it was fo;
nay, tiia<: beiides the ordinary intrenchments,
it was fiirrounded by an high wall, which
ciofcd it in on all quarters. Jesus Christ
Ivad foretold, that the time approached where-

. * Mat. XX! V. 2. f Mark xiii,

in

Chrtftian Religion viNiiic^fed. 40

fn men /houU fay, BleJJcd arc the barren^ and
the liwmbs which never bare, and the paps
which never gave fuck *. And whatever
Jofcphus tells us of the horrors of that war,
and of the dread uil famine which defolatcd
the city, and even compelled mothers to de-
vour their infants, fl^icws the perfect accom-
plifliment of this prophecy. Jesus Christ
Jignihed that the dcfolation fliould be fo
great, as that the like had never been known.
And did any one ever before hear of fo ter-
rible a difafler ? This people becomes dif-
tradled by a thoufand internal factions -, every
polTible calamity falls upon and overwhelms
it; plague, famine, carnage, and murders,
are all confederate againfl it, in vengeance
for the blood oF the jufi: which had there
been flied. Though prefled on every fide,
and reduced to the lail extremity, whil^
Titus is defirous of nothing fo much as to
fave them, and repeatedly offers them par-
don ; fmlttcn with the mod amazing infa-
tuation, they reje<ft all his propofals, and
(unparalleled fadl !) Jofephus reckons up
J, 1 00,000 men who periflied in the fiege,

' Luke xxiii. 29..

C c 2 At

404 ^ke T R u T u of the

At length the city, being reduced to an heap
ofadies, is taken, and totally deftroyed, as
Jesus Christ had foretold. Titus was
defirous to preferve the temple at all events,
and accordingly he laid his whole army under
the ftrideft injunctions not to touch it : But
heaven a?2d earth jl: all pa fi away rather than
the word of ]esv^ Christ Jhall faiL An
invifible hand incites a foldier, who cafls a
lighted brand ; the fire catches ; Titus runs
towards the temple, and gives orders for the
fpeedy extinction of the riling flames : but
all efforts are inefFeilual ; and that magniii-
cent and beautiful n:ru<!^ure is in a moment
reduced to afl:ies. The finger of G o d is
fo vifiBle in this whole expedition againfl:
the Jews, that even T/V^/i, who deflroyed
ihem, acknowledges that he did nothing
but ftretch out his hand on the behalf of a
God irritated againft them, and acfl as the
minifter of divine vengeance, which thus
purfued this unfortunate people "^^ Thus
com.pletely was the decree pronounced by
Jesus Christ executed againfl the Jews,

* See Jofeph. of the Jew. war, B. vi. ch. ix. §. i. and
Bifhop Newton's very excellent diflertations on the pro.
phecies.

v/ho

Chrijlian Religicn 'vindicate J, ^or

who had contemned and forgotten him.
They Jha/l rajc thy ivalh, and dcjlroy thce^
and thy children within thee^ bccaitfc thou
luieuoefi not the time of thy God's vi ft tat ion.

All thefe events happened at the precife
time prefixed. The generation which lived
in the time of Jesus Christ, faw all thefe
calamities befal them. Adrian, at length,
completed their extermination, caufing
600, coo more of them to periih. The
wretched remains of this unfortunate people
were driven from their native country with
all the marks of divine vengeance. They
were interdidled Judaea under the moH: ri-
gorous penalties, r.nd were carried away
captive into all nations, as Je^us Christ
had alfo foretold *. Can any one flill
doubt whether Jesus Christ be the pro-
inilcd Meffiah ; or whether the Jews have
not defpifed and difregarded his vifitation
Doth not fuch a chaftifement (the predidion
of it being fo clear, fo particular, fo very
circumftantial, as that which Jksus Christ

• Sec Luke xxi. 24.

C c 3 pro-

4o6 ^TIjc Truth of the

pronounced, dccliring it at the fame time
to be tiie puniil:iment of the Jews* incre-
dulity v/ith refped: to Him) warrant to us
the truth of that application which he made
to his own perfon, of the prophecies which
referred to the Meffiah ?

Proof §. XV. But what gives the greateft force

from the ^^ ^j^jg proof, and adds new luflre to the

attempt ^ . .

of Julian immutability of the prophecy of Jesus

to rebuild ^ . , • r t

jerufa- ^HRisT, IS the cnterprizc oi Julian
lem, ti^e apoftate. This prince, after having de-
clared war againfl Jesus Christ, believed
himfelf invefted with power fufficient to
annihilate his predictions 5 and accordingly
he undertakes to convifl: them of falihood :
he Vv^as delirous to wreft from the Chriftian
Religion that conftant tefiimony which the
fiate of the Jewdili nation afforded it, and
which he perceived to fubfiil in full force.
To this end he projeds the repairing of the
temple, and to recal the difperfed Jews,
who were always ready to fecond, or even
to anticipate, the heathens, in their fury to-
wards the Chriftians : he animates and ex-
horts them to concur in this his grand de-
fign : he makes the greateft preparations ;

fets

Chnflian Religion ii/:^iC{jfcd. 407

fcts apart imnienfe fiims for the piirpofe j
and commits the execution of it to Alypiics
of Antioch, giving liim the governor of Ju-
dsea for hi- colleague. The Jewilli nation
flock thither from all parts, and cxhaulls it-
felf from it's own flock in cxpenfive pre-
parations. In order to work upon new foun-
dations, they dig up and remove what re-
mained of the old ; an adion, by which
evidently the prophecies of Jesus Christ
were accompliihcd. " The fuperftru-flure
of Chrirtianitv, diverted of the founda-
tions of ancient revelation han2:s in the air,
and muH: fill of courfe : the temple, fprung
from it's own ruins, would be an evcr-
lailing monument of the triumph of ido-
latry, over the two Pveligions, which made
a profeirion of combatting all it's eitbrts*.**
But we may reft perfedly fatisficd on this
head, the word of Jesus Christ is firm
and immoveable \ and all the power of man
fliall never prevail againft it. He hath built
his church on a rock, and nothing can over-
throw it: lie. hath dcflroyed the temple,
and nothing (hall be able to raife it a^ain
The very efforts employed by mankind to

• Sec Dc BIctcric's Life of Julian.

C c 4 invalidate

4o8 Tlje Truth of the

invalidate his predidions, (hall even ferve
only to their full and entire completion.
This was the fole confequence of all this-
grand enterpiize of the apoftate.

The Jews, and the workmen employed
by Julian, dug up the remains of the old
foundations of the temple, and thereby
completely verified the prophecy of our Sa-
'viour, by not leaving ojie Jlone upon another y
and by aboliiliing even the leall: traces of
that edifice. But after having thus ferved
to give that prophecy it's utmoft degree of
^ccom.plifliment ; fcarcely had they begun to
lay the new foundations, when a violent
earthquake thruft forth the ftones with an
amazing force. Firey whirlwinds rufh out
with impetuofity from the bowels of the
earth ; and being feveral times repeated, de-
vour the implements, the materials, and the
labourers. New attempts are made, and
the place conftantly proves inaccefiible. The
prodigies are fo terrible, and fo continually
renewed, that, at length, all the obflinacy of
the Jews, their ardent zeal for the t'em.ple,
their hatred of Jesus Christ, and the
whole power and combined efforts qf Julian,

Ckriflian Religion "vindica/eJ, 40^

are forced to yield. Thus was the infidelity
of the one, and the ralhnefs of the others,
for ever confounded*; and the truth oi our
Saviour's predications confirmed by the agency
of thofe very perfons who had infolently un-
dertaken to convict them of fallliood.

No one can contend againft the reality of all
thefe fads, without previoufly teftifying the
mofl ftupid hi/lorical fcepticifm ; for they are
confirmed by whatever can render human
tcllimony indubitable. They are attefled by
Marcel/i/iiis*, a cotemporary author, a phi-

* " Julian being deflrous to eternize his reign by the
*' grcatnefs of his atchievmcnts, formed a rcfolution to
•* rebuild, at an immenfe expence, the proud and ma'^ni-
*' ficcnt temple of Jerufalem : he committed the conducl
** of this affair to Jlyplus of Antioch, who formerly had
" been lieutenant in Britain. When therefore Alyplus
** had fct himfclfto the vigorous execution of thi? char '•e,
*♦ in which he had all the aflilbance which the governor of
" the province [of Judca] couM afford : horrible balls of
** fire breaking out near the foundations, with frequent
•' and reiterated attacks, rendered the place, from time
•' to time, inacceflible to the fcorchcd and blr.ded work-
" men ; and the viflorious clement, continuing in tJiis

manner, obftinately bent, as it were, to repel their ar-
** tempts, the cntwTprizc was given over." A.vim. Mah-
CELLiK. lib. xxiii. ch. i.

lofoplicr.

410 : The Truth of the

lofopber, a great admirer of Jalian, and as
bigotted to Paganifm as himfelf ; but withal
a lover of truth, and fo not likely to relate
what he did not know to be true. They
are alfo related by other authors equally co-
temporary, or very nearly bordering upon
the reign of Julian. Their teftimony,
though it be Chriftian, cannot be objected
to, fince it is confirmed by that of a Pagan,
and is uncontroverted by any body. But, as
Sozomenes very well obferves, not only thofe
who w^ere eye-witneffes of thefe extraordi-
nary events, atteft them, but the Jews and
Pagans alfo, in fpite of themfelves, give a
decifive teflimony of it. Why, indeed,
were they induced to renounce their enter-
prize, and abandon the work they had be-
gun? Or, to fpeak more properly, why were
they unable to begin it ? unlefs it was be-
caufe an invifible power, by the difplay of
miracles, compelled them to give up an un-
. dertaking, purfued with fo much ardour,
and in favour of which every human means
was eagerly employed.

Who then troubles himfelf to hope for
the infiders atTent ? Who now will rcqueft

him

Chrljlian Religion vindicated. 4 1 j

him to acknowledge Jesus Christ for his
God and Saviour? Muft he not be forced
to follow the example of two gentlemen of
our time, wliO were unable to refill the
abovemcniioned decifive proof of the event
we have been relating The fir ft is Mr. Li. tie-
ton : The other is Mr. Moyle ; who, like the
reft of the free-thinkers of cur age, admit-
ted neither of prodigies or miracles ; yet was
unable to ftand o'lt againft tl:e certainty of
thofe which defeased Julian's enterprlze. He
could not help conftfling, that '* though he
** g^.ve little credit to the miracles which
" are reported to have been performed
** fince the death of the apoftles ; yet he
** -dared not rejedl them all ^ becaufe of that
** which happened in the time of Julian 5
** which, fays he, is fo extraordinary in all
<* it'scircumftances, and fo fully attefted, that
*' I know not with what face it is pofhbleto
** rejedt it.'* Mr. Mofieim, the excellent cc-
clefiaftical hiftorian *, gives us his thoughts
upon the fubjedt in the following terms :
*' I cannot conceive how it could enter into
" the minds of fome learned men of this

* s

ee his hiftory juft tranflatcd by Mr. Maclalnc.

4C

age,

412 TZ'^ T R u T H of the

** age-, to entertain a doubt of the truth of
" this remarkable ftory. For though the
** Chriftian authors who atteft it, fliould
** not appear to them to be worthy of crs-
^^ dit, yet how could they fufpecl Ammia-
** nus Marcellinus, an hiflorian fo ftriftly
impartial, and free from every prepof-
feflion in favour of the Chriftian Reli-
gion ? How could they except again ft
other authors, as little to be fufpedted ?
For my own part, I know not upon what
fadls,, or what ancient hiftorv we can de-
pend, if it be alowed to rejed: that of
'^ which we are fpeaking, though fupported
*' by fo many teftimonies ; and this merely
*' becaufe the fad'S of which they treat ap-
*' pear lefe credible/'.

r

We dcfire RoufTeau and his difciples to
give Bifliop IVarbiirtoih celebrated differta-
tion ^ an impartial perulid. Jn that work
the learned author treats of this point of hi-
ftory with all the fagaciry of the moft judici-
ous criticifm : he firft proves that Julian's at-
tempt had been formed under circumftances fo

* Intituled Julian.

interefting

u

<c

ii

(C

Chrijlian Religion vrndicafed. jj.^^

interefting that the honour of revelation nc-
ceflarily demanded a divine miracle. Indeed
the iacred volumes exprefsly fay, that Je-
rufdicm and ifs temple Jh all be dejlroyed -, and
that their ruins J}:all never be built npon
again. An impious prince feeks to falfify
this prophecy, purpofing to rebuild the tem-
ple. What are we not to expedl from the
wifdom and juftice of the fupreme Being i*
Shall it permit the triumph of impiety, and
that the majcfty of it's decrees be contemn-
ed? Surely no: it is impoiTible. The King
of kings will vindicate his glory, and juftify
the unalterable veracity of his word in the
face of the whole univerfe. God will not
be flack to oppofe, by a prodigy demonftra-
tive of his power, fo amazing an incredu-^
licy. It was impofiible therefore, as the
blthop goes on to prove, for an attempt (o
impious as that of Julian, to be attended
with the lead degree of fuccefs. So that
there is nothing lefs furprizing than the pro-
digy which defeated the defign of this em-
peror ; a prodigy which comes witncflcd to
us by whatever can render human teftimony
Lidubitable. Thofe enemies of Chriflianity,
who lived neareft to the period in which

this

414 ^^''^ Truth of the

this revolution commenced, and Julian him-
felf, have confirmed it by their own ac-
', knowledgment ; thoug^h they endeavour at
the fame time to conceal the iliame of it
by fubterfuges. Obferve what the emperor
fays in one of his moll celebrated harangues.
** Let no one pretend to impoie upon us by
*^ plaufible fpeeches, or think to terrify us,
** by alledging the decrees of providence*
What indeed can thofe Jewilli prophets
fay, who hold up thefe d\:crees before our
eyes ? What will they fay ©f their temple
*' ruined for the third time, without, how-
** ever, having been rebuilt ? I do not urge
*' this to make it out as a niatter of fliame
"to them 5 fmce I myfelf in thefe latter
" times, thought to have rebuilt it to the
*' honour of that God who had formerly
*' been worfhiped there/' But, what is
very remarkable, Julian, who through the
whole tranfadlion had only ambitious and
political views, furnifhed, without knowing
it, a powerful argument* in favour of the
Chriftian Religion, by owning that he had
vainly attempted to difcredit the oracle of
Jesus Christ, concerning the deftrudioa
of Jerufalem. Thefe words which Julian

makes

Chrijiian Religion 'vi7idicaied. 415

makes ufc of, as Mr. Dj la Blcterie ob-
ferves, nearly refemble, in the mouth of a
fovcreign, a dired: confcflion of a difappoint-
ed enterprize.

It was doubtlefs with the flattering: idea
of repairing this difgracc, that Juhan affed:-
ed to appear unmoved at it. The common
people placed it to the account of unfavour-
able omens ; the free-thinkers to that of mi-
racles ; and himfelf and his philofophers
endeavoured to their utmofl:, to fliew it pro-
ceeded from natural caufes, in order to rob
the Deity of the honour of fo glorious a
miracle.

Bifliop Warburton, in the ftrongefl man-
ner, decries this weak natural philofophy,
which ever affedts to fct afide the agency
of the Sovereign Lord of the univerfe.
He demonftrates that it is wholly unlikely,
and even impoffible, that thofe firey erup-
tions fliould have been the work of any hu-
man art ; and that it is no Icfs abfurd to
fuppofc them but a mere fniiple phenome-
non of nature. This able critic, after de-
feating every objedion, proves, that the

charader

4i6 7/je Truth of tbe

character of the prophecy which pronounced
that the temple fhould never be raifed again
from it's ruins, according to the nature of
the divine decrees, rendered this miracle in-
difpeniible for the honour of Religion. He
obierves, that the evidence of Marcellinus's
teftimony is fo perfcdl and full in every par-
ticular, that no one circumftance can be
found, either in its manner or narration, of
which an unbehever could poffibly avail
himfelf, for the denying his affent to the
fad : and that there is not a fingle parti-
cular deficient, which a Chriflian could
need, in order to eftablifli his converfion.
In {hort, he concludes, that the various re-
lations which have been given of the mat-
ter by the fathers of the church, and the
ecclefiaftical hiftorians, are not only con-
liilent with, but ferve mutually to corro-
borate each other : fo that the circum fiances
of thefe relations, which, at a firft view,
might appear lead credible, become, upon
a mature examination, the moil worthy of
belief.

We mud not then be at all furprized,
that Mr. Moyle fl^ould yield to the rcfift-

lefs

Chrljtian Religion vuidicated, 4 1 7

Icfs force of thcfe united proofs. They
•would foon have imitators, did but tlie in-
.fidcls of our time polfcfs a hke gencrofity
of mind ; or would they but examine the
fafts in qucftion with the lame degree of
lincerity. But the unbeliever is never de-
ficient of trifling pretences, to fix him in
his ignorance, and to divert: the Deity of the
honour due to his works. Sometimes they
are imputed to fubtile tricks, which it is not
poflible to account for : at other times they
are made to be the eftedt of unknown na-
tural caufes ; by means of which the infi-
del boafts himfclf able to account for every
marvellous circumftance of extraordinary
events. *' Nature, as the author of the life
*' of Julian very well obferves, was always
'* the refource of infidels ; but fhe fo com-
*' pletcly ferves the caufe of Religion, that
*' they ought, at leafl:, to fufpcd: her of
** ooUufion and deceit.'*

§. XVI. After fo many clear proofs and Conclud.
dcmonftrations, upon what groand can RouT- J."^?''^^'

^ ^ trom the

feau tell US, ** I (hall never believe that I ft.ue of
" have acquired a fufficient acquaintance ^^''*"^^'^''
'* with the arguments of the Jews, till they
D d ** compoib

4 1 8 The T Rv T n of the

*^ compofe a free and independent f!:ate, and
*' have fchools and univerfities of their own,
" where they may talk and difpute without
** hazard. Till then we can never truly
" know what they have to fay." Yet, do
not they openly proclaim to all the world,
the Deicide they have committed in the
perfon of Jesus Christ? Who among
them can prove that the Deity ftill conti-
nues to dwell amongft their tribes ? They
have had no prophets ever fmce the coming of
Jesus Christ. Nor can they jfhew us a
fingle miracle with which God hath aflifted
them, as he formey did. The thing is eafi-
ly to be accounted for. Nor is there any
need of a free ftate, or fchools, or univerfi-
ties, to affift in refolving it. Let the Jews
lliew us one miracle performed in their fa-
vour fmce the eflabliflbment of Chriftianity.
Let them produce a fingle prophet fince the
coming of our Saviour ; and we grant they
have won the caufe : but that is an im-
practicable point. Our ancient apologifts as
well as the modern, have always offered
them the fame challenge, and they never
ventured to accept it. The Gentiles no
fooner abandoned their idols, to follow the

light

Chrijiian Religion vindicated. 4 1 9

light of that truth, wherewith J Ls us Christ
came to enlighten tlieir minds, than the
Lord of Hoils withdrew from Jcriikilem
every wife architecl:!: who was capahlc of
building. The clouds have received command
to rain no more upon the vine of Sorec -j-.
And the fpring of heavenly blefiings is dry-
ed up from the houfe of Ifruel. All are
transferred to the church of Jesus Christ^
The fiime proofs which etiablilhed the di-
vinity of the Jewifb Religion, confirm that
of Chriftianity. The incredulous Jew can-
not combat it without ad:ing againfl: himfelf.
The miracles and prophecies of Jesus
Christ are as decifive in his favour, as
were thofe miracles which Mofes wrouc^ht
and the prophecies which he declared, in
fupport of the Jewifli difpenlation.

The Jews have never ventured to deny
the miracles of Jesus Christ. Their
Talmud even makes mention of fome which
his difciples performed in his name: all that
they have been able to urge, in order to ob-
fcure the luftre of them, is, that they were

t Ifai. V. 6.

D d 2 wrought

4^o ^he T K n T n of the

wrought with the affiftance of enchantment,
which, fay they, the difciples learned in
/ ^gypt y but, fliould they not be cautious
while they advance this, left they fliould
furniQi weapons againft themfelves ? Was
not Mofes accufed of the fame crime ? and
did not the jjEgyptians place him in the
number of their principal magicians ? What
can they reply to fuch an accufation ? They
will infill:, without doubt, that the illufions
of magic never have a lafting efFeft ^ and
that it*s purpofe cannot be to eftabhfh the
w^orfiiip of God, and purity of manners.
In (liort, that true miracles and the works
of God cannot be imitated by the power of
devils. Now thefe very reafons unanfwer-
ably prove that Jesus Christ was no ma-
gician ; and fo trifling a charge can only
ferve to render his miracles inconteftible ;
and, by juft confequence, to prove him the^
Meffiah.

To demnnd, as Roufleau does, that the
jews fliould have an independent ftate,
fchools, and univerfities, is to require at the
fame time the total overthrow of Chriftia-
nity, and of the Jewifh revelation. If the

Jews

Chrijlian RcUgion vindicated. 421

Jews were to rife from their prefent flatc of
abjedioii, without being previoufly convert-
ed to Jesus Chk ist ; from thenceforth the
Chrifti;;n Rehgion would be overthrown
and confounded; and Jesus Christ
would ccafc to be the objedt pointed out
by the ancient writings. It would no longer
be imp' )iriblc for ihe infidel to convifl them
of faifuy, and to fliew that they are but a
collodion of vain ceremonies, falflioods, and
contradictions.

Bat how powerfully do the Jews in their
prefent firuaiion argue in favour of Jesus
Christ ! Their own fcriptures inform us,
that fuch a condition is the juft punifhment
of their unbelief with regard to Jesus
Christ ; and that they fhall never extri-
cate themfelves from it till they believe in
him. To convince us of this matter, it is
fufficient only to caft our eyes over the 69th
Pfalm, verfes 4, 7, 8, 9, 19, 20 — 26.

All thefe paflages admirably fuit with

the characfter of Jesus Christ. It is Him

whom the Jews mide to undergo all thofe

indignities of which the prophet complains :

D d 3 Him,

422 The T R V r n of the

Him, to whom they gave gall for meat, and
vinegar for drink. After all t-hele exceffes
of barbarity committed upon his peffofi, the
deiecration made in his name, hath poured
upon the Jews all the e£eBs of divine anger
and indignation. Their books are becotiie,
afotare, tn which they haV'' bt en tahn^ be^
caifje their eyes are darkened that they can no
longer Jet ; their habitation is become defolate
by the defti^adion of clieir ciiy, and the^r
difperficn ; becaufe they have perfecuied arid
cppre/Zed him^ wtmn God hath Jmitten for
cur fakes.

Bat thefe fame fcriptures, which foretold

to this people it's ch^^.!l:ifement and mifery,

have as clearly pronounced that God would

preferve that people to the ktefh poflerity,

by a miraculous protedion, and would open

their eyes to the light, by recalling them io

faith and true holinefs. '^ The children of

" Ifrael^ fays Hofea, Jl:aU be a hng time

*^ without a king^ and without a prince^ and

*' without a facrificcy and without an altar y

*' without an ephod^ and without teraphim.

" But afterwards Jhall the children of Ifrae

*' return to the Lord their God-, they Jhal

['feek

ChrijVian Religion vifuHciited, 42 '5

*' feek him^ and David their king^ and they
" fJ:nlI be-^flled -ivith rcfpccf and Je.^r of
*' the Lord J becaufe of his goodnefs tovoards
" ihevi ; and this pall happen in the latter
** days -f-." The condition in which the
Jews have continued ever iince the time
that they crucified Jesus Christ, conld
not be more clearly pointed out, nor the
caufe of it be expreffcd, in a more exa(^
manner. It is for not havina: acknowledG:ed
the true David, and for having rejected
God himfelf in His perfon : for the pro-
phet declares, that when the Jews ff:all re-
turn, they will feek the Lord their God^ and
David their king. This David then is come,
and they have not known him ; and God
hath ccafcd to be their God, fince they are
ftill in fearch both of one and the other :
they have not known the great blelllng
which God hath be flowed ; his exatlent
gift ; that is to fay, the xMessiahj in as
much as wlien they return to him, they wiil
be penetrated with a profound refpedi^ and
holy fear ^ becaufe of the gcodnefs of the Lord,

f Hofea Hi. 4, 5.

D d 4 What

-^24 ^i^^ Truth of the

What great light then does the abjeft
condition of the Jews fiied upon the Chri-
ftian Religion ! The ceconomy of their in-
fidelity is admirable, and bears fuch charac-
ters of divinity, as muft ftrike every one
who confiders it. Can any thing be more
powerfully affedling or divine, than to be-
hold that people which rejefted and cruci-
fied Jesus Christ, and which put him to
open fliame and reproach ; unanimoufly at-
teft the divinity of thofe books which de-
pofe in favour of him as the Meffiah 5 and
declare that this very people fhall rejc£l
him, and be dafhed in pieces againft that
Jlo72e of Jlumbling, Is it not evident that
this people is made to ferve expreffly as
a wimefs in favour of Jesus Christ and his
Religion? If the Jews had believed in Jesus
Christ, v^hat pretence of infidelity could
we have urged ? They might have been ac-
cufed of being in confederacy with us to de-
ceive mankind ; and we fliould only have had
fufpiclous witnelTes of the truth of the fa-
cred writings ; but how can any one refiH:
the force of a teftimony fo decifive as that
©fa whole nation, which cannot be fufpeded

of

ChriflicM Religion '-yindlcatcd, 425

of wilfully favouring or countenancing the
Chriftian Religion, to which it is the great-
eft enemy? The ftridnefsand fidelity where-
with this people hath preferved the books-
of it's law, are known and acknowledged ;
and in fpite of all the advantage we claim
to derive from thofe books, againll whatever
they may urge in oppofition to our Religion^
thib people hath never fuffered the leaft al-
teration to be made in them j and confe-
quently, it warrants to us all thofe prophe-
cies by which Chriftianity is authorized and
fupported.

The Pagans might have charged us, as
fome infidels of our own time have done,
with having prepofteroufly contrived all thofe
convincing prophecies, which fo long ago
drew up the charader of the Mefllah, and
foretold the coming of Jesus Christ, and
the eftabliflimentof his church, had we not
fome folid argument to offer in contradidlion
to their charge. But God, in order to fup-
ply mankind with every proof they could
dcfire, hath dcpofited thefe prophecies with
a people which is an enemy to the Chriftiaa
name -, if ever it had an enemy. He hath

di(perf<Hl

426 The Truth of the

dirperfed this people throughout the world,
thereby to render an authentic and irre-
fragable teftimony to the truth and cer-
tainty of all thofe prophecies. ** You fee,
*' as we have obferved to the Pagans, the
** clear and deciiive prophecies which we
** objc'fl againft your worflip ; and which
** you accufe us of having ourfelves corn^
•^ pofed : the more evident they are, the
*' more falfe do they appear to you, and fo
^' much the more flrongly do you feem to
** be perfuaded that they are counterfeit and
'« framed, after the coming of him w^hom
^' they proclaim : but, to fatisfy all your
** doubts, and to lilence the accufation you
^* bring againft us, confult the Jews, that
"* people, who are ftill more irreconcileable
*' enemies to the faith than yOurfelves. You
^ Cannot fufpedl them of conniving with
•' us to deceive and feduce you." The Jews
here cited in confirmation of our teftimony,
declared to the Pagans that Mofes was a man
fent from God to be their legiflator 3 that
he lived fifteen hundred years before the
comins; of Tesus Christ: and that all the
prophets lived a long while before Him,
Convinced of this the Pagans could no longer

hefitate

Chrijlian Religion vindicated, 427

hciitate to admire the iolldity of tbofc foun-
dations which unite in fupport of the Chri-
llian Religion i fmce even the Jcvvs, though
it's moil inveterate enemies bore fuch a tefti-
mony to it as turned to their confufion, and
which, confeqiiently, truth alone could draw
from their mouths.

In fhort, every circumftance concurs to (hew
to the unbelievers, that the Chrijlian Reli^
gion derives it's ftrength from whatever can
be invented to deftroy it. Let any one look
at this affemblage of proofs in favour of our
Religion, and he muft deplore the obftinate
blindnefs of thofe who endeavour to bring
it into contempt or oblivion.

FINIS.

A N

A N

Alphabetical INDEX.

/JPOLLONIUS rrJNEUS, the impoftor;

**-* compared with our Saviour P*igc 241

jlpplication to RoufTeau, on the ignorance and incon-

fiftency of philofophcrs, refpefting God, the world,

&c. 60

■ of the proofs of the Mefliah, to the Jews, 364

Jr^ument of RoufTeau concerning the Jewifh, Chriftian,
and Mahometan Religion, ftated, and his inconfift-

cncy fhcwn ' 319

Authority of, and of that of the Church in particular 223*

■ of the Chriftian Church ; common men muft

1^ reft in it ■ ■ 273

B.

Bfllefy the difficulties in revelation no obje<5lion to it 109

Condition and ftatc of man ■■' ■ i

Confequenccy plain and natural, of miracles 237

Conftderaticn of what RoufTeau urges in favour of the

Jews ■ ■ 364

Copies^ and various readings of S. S. - ■■■ ■ 277
Chrijiy his miracles, why rejected ■ 234

— his moral character ' 1 ■ i> 295

Chrijiy

INDEX.

Chrlfti his dp^trice, aod the preparation for his coming

Page 300
. his life and death 303

— his difciples, and thofe of Socrates 305
. his charadter, evidewice to the truth of Chriftia-

nity • 314

— T-T prjjycd Jtp b^ the Meffiab, from a view of the
prophecies ^— « • — ■ ■ 341

from a review of what has happened fince bis

coming r— * 355

his divine character ■■ 387

Chnjl'ian vindicated, and RoufTeau refuted 334

... .. Religion, moft ancient *^. — i — 338

Chrijliam have fufficient proofs to convince the Jew?

ibid,
Chr'ijlian'ity^ means ufed to propagate it^ proper 134

-r^-- firft preachers of it, proof of it^s divinity 138

•^ — ^. <:ontinuance of, a miracle — ' 152

Chw'chy authority of 231

■■u - . comffiQn men muft lestt in it 273

D-epravity original, proofs of - 1 7

human, notions of ancient philofophers re-

fpedting it 24

Z)£//^«<3//(?« of man, ignorance and inconfiftency of phi-
lofophers refpec3:ing it 52

Detail of the revelation of the great promife of a Re-
deemer ■ 90

Difficulties ?n the dodtrine of original fm unavoidable 27

« ...«»*> in revelation no obje(5lion to the belief of it

109
Difciples orCHKiST and Socrates ■ 305

jDzW«?V^ of Chriftianity, it*s preachers a proof of it 130
Do^rin£y miracles prove the truth of — 171
!»■» ■» ■ A furvey of icripture in that light 174

DQ&rinf

INDEX.

Do^rUie of Christ, and the preparation for his com-
ing Page 300

DBmlnion of fle(h and Iciife over rc.doii q

E.

Enquiry into the manner in which the Mahometan and
Jewifti Religions were propagated 330

Evidences 10 the truth of Chriflianity,from the character
of Christ 314

^I'/Vi unavoidable of man ■ i^

Fa^s in fupport of the Chriflian Religion, the allowed

notoriety of ■ ' 125

/V7;V/> human, of iiy

— — the fimplicity of 203

FUJI) and fenfcj their dominion over reafon 9

Gody ignorance and inconfiftency of phiiofophers re-

fpectmg him 48

ignorance of, proof of the want of revelation 43

H.

Happjnefs » 6

I-hatbtns unjuftifiablc in punifhing Chriftians 192

I.

yerufidem^ proofs from the prophecies concerning the
city and temple 400

proof of the truth of Chriflianity from the

attempt of Julian to rebuild it — 406

Jcwi^ application to, . ^64

their ftatc, aproofof the truthof Chriflianity 417

jewijh

INDEX.

Jemjh obfllnacyj proof of the truth of Chrlftlanity

Page 398
Ignorance of God, proof of want of revelation 43

• and incunfiftency of philofophcrs refpe£ting

God 48

. refpecling the origm of the world 49

■ ' refpe6ling the foul 51

*— ^ refpedling the condition and defignation of

man 52

-^ refpe(Sting moral truths 56

Inconft/iency of Roufieau, in his compariibn of the Jew-

ifh, Chriftian, and Mahometan Religions, fhewn 319

Infancy^ the {late of, confidered 4

Introduction to differ t. I. I

to di/Tert. IIL 133

. to difT^rt. V. 286

Judaifm modern, of 378

"Julian^^ attempt to rebuild Jerufalem, a proof of the
truth of Chriftianity. — . — 406

L.

Life and death of Christ _i. • .. 303

M.

Mahometan Religion examined, and compared with the

Chriftian 322

' Religion, of the fuccefs of ^ 333

Man^ his natural ftate and condition l,&c.

his unavoidable evils ■ — ^ ■ 15

Manner in which the Mahometan and Chriftian Reli-
gion were propagated, enquired iiito 330

Alartyrs ^ — — 309

Means ufed to propagate Chriftianity, proper 134

Meffiah^ Christ proved to be, from a view of the pro-
phecies 341
■■ from a review of what has happened fmce his

coming 355

■ ■■ ■' a fuffering one, iieceflary and proper for man

382
MlracUy

INDEX.

Mlracky the grcatcft the propagation of Chrlftianft/

Page 135
Miracles^ &c. as well atteftcd as we could dcfire J42

■ '■ fufficicntly atxcftfd 149

* the rcafon of • 159

prove the truth of a doLitine 171

. moft proper 217

— ' their natural and plain confequcnce 237

■ real, incontcfttblc evidences of truth 244

' Christ's, \\\\y rcjeded . 234

Chriftian, fir, proper, and benign 164

■ ■ ' ■ Witnefles to ■ ' ■ 156

N.

A^rtf^/}' of revelation, proof of 72

■ the difcovcry of rcmiHion of fins

another proof of it 87

Notoriety of the fads of the Chriftian Religion 125

o.

0^/Wry of the Jews, a proof of the truth of Chrifti-
anity ■ 39S

P.

Pbilofophers ancient, their notions of human depravity 24
-^— — their ignorance and inconfiflcncy rcfpe(5ting

God, &c. &c. 48

Prcaihers (the firft,) of Chriftianity, a proof of it's divi-
nity — 138

Promlfe threat, of a Redeemer, a detail of the revelation

thereot ■ 90

Propagation of Chriftianity the 2:rcateft miracle 135

Prophecies^ a view of, from whence Jfsts Christ

proved to be the Mcfliah ■ ■ 341

£ c Rtadtrigt

INDEX.
R.

Readhigs and copies of the $. S. various obfervations

rciped:ing them — .. Page 277

Reafon fubje(Si: to fiefh and fenfe ■ g

—— * leads to a belief in miracles — — 205

*"' ' human, weak and incapable, i lone, of difcover-

ing religious truths ig6

Redenner^ a detail of the revelation 0/ the promife of

him •— — i . 9a

Redeviption a full remedy of original fin 33;

Religion, Chriftian, the moft ancient • 338

Re?:uJ[ir.n of fins, the difcovery of, a further proof of

the neceffity of revelation « 87

Revelation^ it's difficulties no obje<5lion to the belief of

it ^ 100

neceflityof it proved 72

want of it proved from the ignorance of

man refpe6ling God • • 43

Rovjfeau refuted ■' 21

fl:ri6lures on -^ -= 36

"^ " application to him, of the argument drav/n from

the incotififtency and ignorance of the philofophers

""^ his diftin<5lion of the obligation to fubmit to re-
velation, examined — — « . 109

" .— felf-contradidion, Stc. 114

~ tcftimony to the excellency of the S.S. 288

^' * inconfiftency in the comparison of the three

chief Religions — 319

refuted, and the Chriftian vindicated 334

-« • argument for the Jews confidered 364

Scriptures^ on the " ■ ■ 267

concerning the various copies and readings

o; them ' « • 277

Scriptures

I N D E X.

Scriptures fufficlcntly known and read, ilfc. Page 283

. Rcujpiius tcftimony of their excellency 288

St/f-ccntradioliofiy Sec. of Rouircau 114.

Senfd and flelh their dominion o\ cr reafon 9

Sin original, difficulties in the dot^trine of, unavoidable

i fully remedied by redemption 33

Sins, difcovery of remilTion of them a proof of the ne-

ceiTity of revelation - 87

Socrates and Christ, their difciples • 305

Soul, ignorance of philofophers refpeding it 4^^

Succefi of the Mahometan Religion 333

Survey of fcnpture, to (hew that miracles prove the

tiuth of a do6trine 174.

Temple of Jerufalcm and city, proofs from the prophe-
cies concerninii them • 400

Truth ^

of a doctrine proved by miracles 17 1

real miracles incontelliblc evidences of it 244

— of Chriftianity, evidence to, from the character
of Christ . 314

Truths moral, ignorance and inconfiftency of the phi-
lofophers refpedting them • 56

W.

WitmJJcs to Chriftian miracles ■ 159

JVcrld^ the ignorance and inconfiftency of philofophers

refpec^ing it's origin 49

lVorJ})ip internal, eflcntial to external __- 1^9

^•'Ifc^K.* ■j^f'rf.

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